Female access and diet affect insemination success, senescence, and the cost of reproduction in male Mexican fruit flies Anastrepha ludens

Effects of Delayed Mating on the Reproductive Performance and Longevity of the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a severe pest on agricultural crops occurring throughout the tropical Americas, has been reported to occur in China since 2019. To develop novel pest management practices, we studied the effect of delayed mating on the reproductive performance and longevity of S. frugiperda. Delayed mating, progressing from 0 to 7 days, was respectively imposed on both sexes simultaneously, female only, and male only. We demonstrated that delayed mating reduced mating success, number of eggs laid, egg hatch rate, and female oviposition period, while increased copulation duration and longevity. The correlations between the number of delayed days and mating success, number of eggs laid, hatch rate, and oviposition period were all significantly negative irrespective of the sex that was delayed. Meanwhile, there was a positive correlation between delayed days and copulation duration when both sexes were delayed simultaneously or males delayed only. Overall our results indicated that delayed mating in both males and females drastically reduced female reproductive output.

Age-related changes in the reproductive potential of the Queensland fruit fly

Despite the known negative impacts of aging on the reproductive potential of many insects, Bactrocera tryoni populations show a rapid increase in abundance from early to late spring when the population is composed of predominantly old individuals. While some aspects of how male and female reproductive potential are influenced by age for this species are known, no study investigates lifelong reproductive potential of either sex. We conducted a whole-of-life study in the laboratory to assess the effect of age and mating-partner age on reproductive potential of B. tryoni. The fertility of 70 individual females was directly measured by the number of eggs laid and hatched; while 70 individual males' fertility was assessed indirectly by measuring the hatch rate of eggs laid by a female partner. Half of the males and females had access to a same-age virgin mating partner, while the other half received a prime-age virgin partner (17-19 days old): in both groups mating partners were replaced weekly. Results showed that independent of the age of male mating partner, increasing age significantly reduced the fecundity and fertility of female B. tryoni after a peak at approximately 20 days of age. However, females mated with prime-age males showed higher egg hatch rates during early life than did females mated with a same-age mating partner. As indirectly measured through their partner's egg hatch rate, the fertility of B. tryoni males was also affected by the age of the male and their mating-partner's age. Males mated consistently with a prime-age partner showed an increasing trend in the egg hatch rate of their partner: indirect evidence of increasing fertility in males with increasing age. No such affect was seen when males were mated with a same-age female, possible because of the age-related changes in female fecundity and fertility. While fecundity is greatly reduced in old females, the whole-of-life data shows that the very old flies present in the field at the end of winter are physiologically capable of starting the new season's F₁ generation. Beyond getting it begun, old females are unlikely to further contribute to the new season's population as their fecundity does not increase even if mated with a prime-age, new generation male. In contrast, old males, if they have subsequent access to new generation females, have the capacity to help contribute to the rapid spring population growth which is observed in the field.

A First Glimpse of the Mexican Fruit Fly Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae) Antenna Morphology and Proteome in Response to a Proteinaceous Attractant

Anastrepha ludens is a key pest of mangoes and citrus from Texas to Costa Rica but the mechanisms of odorant perception in this species are poorly understood. Detection of volatiles in insects occurs mainly in the antenna, where molecules penetrate sensillum pores and link to soluble proteins in the hemolymph until reaching specific odor receptors that trigger signal transduction and lead to behavioral responses. Scrutinizing the molecular foundation of odorant perception in A. ludens is necessary to improve biorational management strategies against this pest. After exposing adults of three maturity stages to a proteinaceous attractant, we studied antennal morphology and comparative proteomic profiles using nano-LC-MS/MS with tandem mass tags combined with synchronous precursor selection (SPS)-MS3. Antennas from newly emerged flies exhibited dense agglomerations of olfactory sensory neurons. We discovered 4618 unique proteins in the antennas of A. ludens and identified some associated with odor signaling, including odorant-binding and calcium signaling related proteins, the odorant receptor co-receptor (Orco), and putative odorant-degrading enzymes. Antennas of sexually immature flies exhibited the most upregulation of odor perception proteins compared to mature flies exposed to the attractant. This is the first report where critical molecular players are linked to the odor perception mechanism of A. ludens.

Mating Delay Reduces Reproductive Performance but not Longevity in a Monandrous Moth

Age at mating is one of the most important factors that affect mating success and reproductive fitness in insects. The present study investigated how the age of the two sexes at mating determined mating success, reproductive fitness and longevity in Phauda flammans (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Phaudidae), a serious pest of Ficus spp. trees in South and Southeast Asia. The study may provide basic knowledge for the development of mating disruption programs using sex pheromones to control this pest. The species is monandrous and its adults live for only 4-5 d. We show that delayed mating significantly lowered mating success in both sexes, with males being more severely affected than females. Mating delay also reduced reproductive outputs of both sexes but females were more negatively affected than males. We did not find any effect of delayed mating on longevity of either sex. Our findings suggest that mating disruption with sex pheromones can be an effective method to delay mating in P. flammans, reducing reproductive success and thus limit population growth.

Male age and strain affect ejaculate quality in the Mexican fruit fly

Aging in all organisms is inevitable. Male age can have profound effects on mating success and female reproduction, yet relatively little is known on the effects of male age on different components of the ejaculate. Furthermore, in mass-reared insects used for the Sterile Insect Technique, there are often behavioral differences between mass-reared and wild males, while differences in the ejaculate have been less studied. The ejaculate in insects is composed mainly of sperm and accessory gland proteins. Here, we studied how male age and strain affected (i) protein quantity of testes and accessory glands, (ii) the biological activity of accessory gland products injected into females, (iii) sperm viability, and (iv) sperm quantity stored by females in wild and mass-reared Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae). We found lower protein content in testes of old wild males and lower sperm viability in females mated with old wild males. Females stored more sperm when mated to young wild males than with young mass-reared males. Accessory gland injections of old or young males did not inhibit female remating. Knowledge of how male age affects different ejaculate components will aid our understanding on investment of the ejaculate and possible postcopulatory consequences on female behavior.

Effects of macronutrient intake on the lifespan and fecundity of the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Tephritidae): Extreme lifespan in a host specialist

In insects, lifespan and reproduction are strongly associated with nutrition. The ratio and amount of nutrients individuals consume affect their life expectancy and reproductive investment. The geometric framework (GF) enables us to explore how animals regulate their intake of multiple nutrients simultaneously and determine how these nutrients interact to affect life-history traits of interest. Studies using the GF on host-generalist tephritid flies have highlighted trade-offs between longevity and reproductive effort in females, mediated by the protein-to-carbohydrate (P:C) ratio that individuals consume. Here, we tested how P and C intake affect lifespan (LS) in both sexes, and female lifetime (LEP), and daily (DEP) egg production, in Ceratitis cosyra, a host-specialist tephritid fly. We then determined the P:C ratio that C. cosyra defends when offered a choice of foods. Female LS was optimized at a 0:1 P:C ratio, whereas to maximize their fecundity, females needed to consume a higher P:C ratio (LEP = 1:6 P:C; DEP = 1:2.5 P:C). In males, LS was also optimized at a low P:C ratio of 1:10. However, when given the opportunity to regulate their intake, both sexes actively defended a 1:3 P:C ratio, which is closer to the target for DEP than either LS or LEP. Our results show that female C. cosyra experienced a moderate trade-off between LS and fecundity. Moreover, the diets that maximized expression of LEP and DEP were of lower P:C ratio than those required for optimal expression of these traits in host-generalist tephritids or other generalist insects.

Occurrence of free fatty acids in the phloem sap of different citrus varieties

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus is a phloem restricted bacterium that causes citrus greening disease or huanglongbing (HLB), a major treat to commercial citrus production in Florida. It is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, a phloem sap-feeding insect. Studies conducted on the composition of citrus phloem sap revealed the presence amino acids, organic acids and sugars and of low amounts of free fatty acids. In the present study, the phloem sap of 12 citrus varieties with different degrees of tolerance to HLB were extracted with ethyl acetate and analyzed by GC-MS after derivatization with boron trifluoride, a fatty acid-specific reagent. Nine free fatty acids were detected in all varieties. Of the 9 fatty acids detected, only capric acid was significantly different among varieties.