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Laugen AT, Hosken DJ, Reinhold K, Schwarzenbach GA, Hoeck PEA, Bussière LF, Blanckenhorn WU, Lüpold S. Sperm competition in yellow dung flies: No consistent effect of sperm size. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1309-1318. [PMID: 35972882 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The male competition for fertilization that results from female multiple mating promotes the evolution of increased sperm numbers and can impact sperm morphology, with theory predicting that longer sperm can at times be advantageous during sperm competition. If so, males with longer sperm should sire more offspring than competitors with shorter sperm. Few studies have directly tested this prediction, and findings are inconsistent. Here we assessed whether longer sperm provide a competitive advantage in the yellow dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria; Diptera: Scathophagidae). Initially, we let brothers with different temperature-mediated mean sperm lengths compete - thus minimizing confounding effects of genetic background - and found no clear advantage of longer sperm. We then used flies from lines subjected to bidirectional selection on phenoloxidase activity that had shown correlated evolutionary responses in sperm and female spermathecal duct lengths. This experiment also yielded no main effect of sperm size on siring success. Instead, there was a trend for a shorter-sperm advantage, but only when competing in females with longer spermathecal ducts. Our data corroborated many previously reported findings (last-male precedence, effects of copula duration and body size), suggesting our failure to find sperm size effects is not inherently due to our experimental protocols. We conclude that longer sperm are not competitively superior in yellow dung flies under most circumstances, and that, consistent with previous work, in this species competitive fertilization success is primarily determined by the relative numbers of sperm competing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ane T Laugen
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland.,Centre for Coastal Research, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway
| | - David J Hosken
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter in Cornwall, Penryn, UK
| | - Klaus Reinhold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland.,Evolutionsbiologie, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Gioia A Schwarzenbach
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paquita E A Hoeck
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luc F Bussière
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland.,Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg and Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Wolf U Blanckenhorn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Zurich, Switzerland
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2
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Walters RJ, Berger D, Blanckenhorn WU, Bussière LF, Rohner PT, Jochmann R, Thüler K, Schäfer MA. Growth rate mediates hidden developmental plasticity of female yellow dung fly reproductive morphology in response to environmental stressors. Evol Dev 2022; 24:3-15. [PMID: 35072984 PMCID: PMC9285807 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how environmental variation influences even cryptic traits is important to clarify the roles of selection and developmental constraints in past evolutionary divergence and to predict future adaptation under environmental change. Female yellow dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) typically have three sperm storage compartments (3S), but occasionally four (4S). More spermathecae are thought to be a female adaptation facilitating sperm sorting after mating, but the phenotype is very rare in nature. We manipulated the flies' developmental environment by food restriction, pesticides, and hot temperatures to investigate the nature and extent of developmental plasticity of this trait, and whether spermatheca expression correlates with measures of performance and developmental stability, as would be expected if 4S expression is a developmental aberration. The spermathecal polymorphism of yellow dung fly females is heritable, but also highly developmentally plastic, varying strongly with rearing conditions. 4S expression is tightly linked to growth rate, and weakly positively correlated with fluctuating asymmetry of wings and legs, suggesting that the production of a fourth spermatheca could be a nonadaptive developmental aberration. However, spermathecal plasticity is opposite in the closely related and ecologically similar Scathophaga suilla, demonstrating that overexpression of spermathecae under developmental stress is not universal. At the same time, we found overall mortality costs as well as benefits of 4S pheno‐ and genotypes (also affecting male siblings), suggesting that a life history trade‐off may potentially moderate 4S expression. We conclude that the release of cryptic genetic variation in spermatheca number in the face of strong environmental variation may expose hidden traits (here reproductive morphology) to natural selection (here under climate warming or food augmentation). Once exposed, hidden traits can potentially undergo rapid genetic assimilation, even in cases when trait changes are first triggered by random errors that destabilize developmental processes. Female yellow dung flies naturally vary in number of sperm storage compartments (3S or 4S). This spermathecal polymorphism is strongly heritable but also developmentally plastic. 4S expression is linked to growth rate and weakly correlated with fluctuating asymmetry, so potentially a developmental aberration. There are mortality costs as well as benefits for 4S phenotypes, suggesting adaptive life‐history trade‐offs. Spermathecal plasticity differs in the closely related and ecologically similar Scathophaga suilla. Environmental changes can expose hidden traits with initially no function to natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J. Walters
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research Lund University Lund Sweden
| | - David Berger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Evolutionary Biology Centre University of Uppsala Uppsala Sweden
| | - Wolf U. Blanckenhorn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Luc F. Bussière
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling Stirling Scotland UK
- Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Patrick T. Rohner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA
| | - Ralf Jochmann
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Karin Thüler
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Martin A. Schäfer
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
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3
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Demont M, Ward PI, Blanckenhorn WU, Lüpold S, Martin OY, Bussière LF. How biases in sperm storage relate to sperm use during oviposition in female yellow dung flies. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Precise mechanisms underlying sperm storage and utilization are largely unknown, and data directly linking stored sperm to paternity remain scarce. We used competitive microsatellite PCR to study the effects of female morphology, copula duration and oviposition on the proportion of stored sperm provided by the second of two copulating males (S2) in Scathophaga stercoraria (Diptera: Scathophagidae), the classic model for sperm competition studies. We genotyped all offspring from potentially mixed-paternity clutches to establish the relationship between a second male’s stored sperm (S2) and paternity success (P2). We found consistent skew in sperm storage across the three female spermathecae, with relatively more second-male sperm stored in the singlet spermatheca than in the doublet spermathecae. S2 generally decreased with increasing spermathecal size, consistent with either heightened first-male storage in larger spermathecae, or less efficient sperm displacement in them. Additionally, copula duration and several two-way interactions influenced S2, highlighting the complexity of postcopulatory processes and sperm storage. Importantly, S2 and P2 were strongly correlated. Manipulation of the timing of oviposition strongly influenced observed sperm-storage patterns, with higher S2 when females laid no eggs before being sacrificed than when they oviposited between copulations, an observation consistent with adaptive plasticity in insemination. Our results identified multiple factors influencing sperm storage, nevertheless suggesting that the proportion of stored sperm is strongly linked to paternity (i.e., a fair raffle). Even more detailed data in this vein are needed to evaluate the general importance of sperm competition relative to cryptic female choice in postcopulatory sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Demont
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Biology and Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paul I Ward
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Wolf U Blanckenhorn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Y Martin
- Department of Biology and Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luc F Bussière
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK
- Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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4
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Simmons LW, Parker GA, Hosken DJ. Evolutionary insight from a humble fly: sperm competition and the yellow dungfly. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200062. [PMID: 33070730 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of the yellow dungfly in the 1960s provided one of the first quantitative demonstrations of the costs and benefits associated with male and female reproductive behaviour. These studies advanced appreciation of sexual selection as a significant evolutionary mechanism and contributed to the 1970s paradigm shift toward individual selectionist thinking. Three behaviours in particular led to the realization that sexual selection can continue during and after mating: (i) female receptivity to remating, (ii) sperm displacement and (iii) post-copulatory mate guarding. These behaviours either generate, or are adaptations to sperm competition, cryptic female choice and sexual conflict. Here we review this body of work, and its contribution to the development of post-copulatory sexual selection theory. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
| | - Geoff A Parker
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - David J Hosken
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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5
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Yoshizawa K, Kamimura Y, Lienhard C, Ferreira RL, Blanke A. A biological switching valve evolved in the female of a sex-role reversed cave insect to receive multiple seminal packages. eLife 2018; 7:39563. [PMID: 30322447 PMCID: PMC6191281 DOI: 10.7554/elife.39563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a functional switching valve within the female genitalia of the Brazilian cave insect Neotrogla. The valve complex is composed of two plate-like sclerites, a closure element, and in-and-outflow canals. Females have a penis-like intromittent organ to coercively anchor males and obtain voluminous semen. The semen is packed in a capsule, whose formation is initiated by seminal injection. It is not only used for fertilization but also consumed by the female as nutrition. The valve complex has two slots for insemination so that Neotrogla can continue mating while the first slot is occupied. In conjunction with the female penis, this switching valve is a morphological novelty enabling females to compete for seminal gifts in their nutrient-poor cave habitats through long copulation times and multiple seminal injections. The evolution of this switching valve may have been a prerequisite for the reversal of the intromittent organ in Neotrogla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazunori Yoshizawa
- Laboratory of Systematic Entomology, School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Alexander Blanke
- Institute for Zoology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher, Köln.,Medical and Biological Engineering Research Group, School of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
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6
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Schäfer MA, Berger D, Rohner PT, Kjaersgaard A, Bauerfeind SS, Guillaume F, Fox CW, Blanckenhorn WU. Geographic clines in wing morphology relate to colonization history in New World but not Old World populations of yellow dung flies. Evolution 2018; 72:1629-1644. [PMID: 29911337 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Geographic clines offer insights about putative targets and agents of natural selection as well as tempo and mode of adaptation. However, demographic processes can lead to clines that are indistinguishable from adaptive divergence. Using the widespread yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria (Diptera: Scathophagidae), we examine quantitative genetic differentiation (QST ) of wing shape across North America, Europe, and Japan, and compare this differentiation with that of ten microsatellites (FST ). Morphometric analyses of 28 populations reared at three temperatures revealed significant thermal plasticity, sexual dimorphism, and geographic differentiation in wing shape. In North America morphological differentiation followed the decline in microsatellite variability along the presumed route of recent colonization from the southeast to the northwest. Across Europe, where S. stercoraria presumably existed for much longer time and where no molecular pattern of isolation by distance was evident, clinal variation was less pronounced despite significant morphological differentiation (QST >FST ). Shape vector comparisons further indicate that thermal plasticity (hot-to-cold) does not mirror patterns of latitudinal divergence (south-to-north), as might have been expected under a scenario with temperature as the major agent of selection. Our findings illustrate the importance of detailed phylogeographic information when interpreting geographic clines of dispersal traits in an adaptive evolutionary framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Schäfer
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David Berger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Animal Ecology at Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18d, SE-75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Patrick T Rohner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anders Kjaersgaard
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie S Bauerfeind
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frédéric Guillaume
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Charles W Fox
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506
| | - Wolf U Blanckenhorn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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8
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Stage- and sex-specific heat tolerance in the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria. J Therm Biol 2014; 46:1-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2014.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2014] [Revised: 09/05/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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9
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10
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Buser CC, Ward PI, Bussière LF. Adaptive maternal plasticity in response to perceptions of larval competition. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia C. Buser
- The School of Biological Sciences University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Paul I. Ward
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Luc F. Bussière
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland
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11
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Zuk M, Garcia-Gonzalez F, Herberstein ME, Simmons LW. Model systems, taxonomic bias, and sexual selection: beyond Drosophila. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2013; 59:321-338. [PMID: 24160422 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-011613-162014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Although model systems are useful in entomology, allowing generalizations based on a few well-known species, they also have drawbacks. It can be difficult to know how far to generalize from information in a few species: Are all flies like Drosophila? The use of model systems is particularly problematic in studying sexual selection, where variability among taxa is key to the evolution of different behaviors. A bias toward the use of a few insect species, particularly from the genus Drosophila, is evident in the sexual selection and sexual conflict literature over the past several decades, although the diversity of study organisms has increased more recently. As the number of model systems used to study sexual conflict increased, support for the idea that sexual interactions resulted in harm to females decreased. Future work should choose model systems thoughtfully, combining well-known species with those that can add to the variation that allows us to make more meaningful generalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Zuk
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108;
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12
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Schäfer MA, Berger D, Jochmann R, Blanckenhorn WU, Bussière LF. The developmental plasticity and functional significance of an additional sperm storage compartment in female yellow dung flies. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin A. Schäfer
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 Zurich CH-8057 Switzerland
| | - David Berger
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 Zurich CH-8057 Switzerland
- Animal Ecology at Department of Ecology and Genetics; Evolutionary Biology Centre; Uppsala University; Norbyvägen 18d SE-75236 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Ralf Jochmann
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 Zurich CH-8057 Switzerland
| | - Wolf U. Blanckenhorn
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 Zurich CH-8057 Switzerland
| | - Luc F. Bussière
- Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Stirling; Stirling FK6 4LA UK
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13
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14
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Blanckenhorn WU, Briegel U, Choffat Y, Demont M, Gautier R, Pemberton KL, Roschitzki-Voser H, Willi Y, Ward PI. Temperature-mediated microhabitat choice and development time based on thepgmlocus in the yellow dung flyScathophaga stercoraria. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01955.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wolf U. Blanckenhorn
- Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Ursula Briegel
- Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Yves Choffat
- Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Marco Demont
- Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Roland Gautier
- Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Katherine L. Pemberton
- Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Heidi Roschitzki-Voser
- Biochemistry; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Yvonne Willi
- Institute of Biology, Evolutionary Botany; University of Neuchâtel; CH-2009 Neuchâtel Switzerland
| | - Paul I. Ward
- Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zürich-Irchel; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zürich Switzerland
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15
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Martin OY, Gubler A, Wimmer C, Germann C, Bernasconi MV. Infections with Wolbachia and Spiroplasma in the Scathophagidae and other Muscoidea. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2011; 12:315-23. [PMID: 22172602 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Revised: 11/29/2011] [Accepted: 11/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The microbes Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are common reproductive parasites of arthropods and may strongly influence reproduction of infected hosts and also impact on reproductive isolation. Such infections could hence influence results of many studies assessing reproductive behaviour and fitness of possible hosts, as well as reproductive isolation. Previous work indicates that infections with the microbes Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are common in the Drosophilidae. However, extensive and targeted surveys of other Dipteran families are lacking. Here we survey the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria and a range of other species from the Muscoidea (families Scathophagidae, Anthomyiidae, Fanniidae and Muscidae) collected in the field or obtained from museum collections for infection with the widespread reproductive parasites Wolbachia and Spiroplasma. Both have been shown to be heritable symbionts and affect reproduction in other Diptera. S. stercoraria is a very important model for the study of sexual selection, and in particular of postcopulatory processes, as it has played a major role in the history of research on sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Infections with Wolbachia were found to be widespread across the Muscoidea, whereas infections with Spiroplasma were rarer. We discuss the consequences of these findings and directions for future research on the impact of reproductive parasites on host reproduction in the Scathophagidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Y Martin
- ETH Zürich, Experimental Ecology, Institute for Integrative Biology, CHN J 11, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
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