Sex combs are important for male mating success in Drosophila melanogaster

Behavior Genetics
Chen Siang Ng, Artyom Kopp

Abstract

The sex comb is one of the most rapidly evolving male-specific traits in Drosophila, making it an attractive model to study sexual selection and developmental evolution. Drosophila males use their sex combs to grasp the females' abdomen and genitalia and to spread their wings prior to copulation. To test the role of this structure in male mating success in Drosophila melanogaster, we genetically ablated the sex comb by expressing the female-specific isoform of the sex determination gene transformer in the tarsal segments of male legs. This technique does not remove the sex comb entirely, but simply restores the morphology of its constituent bristles to the ancestral condition found in Drosophila species that lack sex combs. Direct observations and differences in long-term insemination rates show that the loss of the sex comb strongly reduces the ability of males to copulate with females. Detailed analysis of video recordings indicates that this effect is not due to changes in the males' courtship behavior. Rapid evolution of sex comb morphology may be driven either by changes in female preferences, or by co-evolution between sex combs and female external genitalia.

References

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Aug 10, 2002·Evolution & Development·Artyom Kopp, John R True
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Citations

Mar 23, 2010·Nature Neuroscience·Elizabeth J RideoutStephen F Goodwin
Mar 4, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Kohtaro TanakaArtyom Kopp
Jan 8, 2010·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Michal Polak, Arash Rashed
Feb 28, 2009·Evolution & Development·Joel AtallahEllen W Larsen
Sep 10, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Juan N MalagónEllen Larsen
Sep 18, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Ehab Abouheif, Ab Matteen Rafiqi
Jul 22, 2008·Evolution & Development·John R True
Mar 19, 2013·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Rhonda R SnookLeigh W Simmons
Sep 29, 2012·Evolution & Development·Artyom Kopp
Apr 24, 2015·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·Alex T Kalinka
Oct 17, 2009·Nature Reviews. Genetics·Thomas M Williams, Sean B Carroll
May 7, 2020·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Reuven DukasCarling M Baxter
Oct 16, 2019·ELife·Sarah A Signor
Jun 25, 2021·BMC Research Notes·Daniel StriblingMichelle N Arbeitman

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