Our current knowledge of the Ceratitis capitata genome opens the way to explore peculiar traits of its invasiveness, including its reproductive behaviour. The availability of genetic markers such as SSRs, coupled with sound statistical tests and simulated estimates, allowed us to infer that polyandry is a common event among wild medfly populations, with a clear precedence of the last mating male [1, 2]. This behaviour may affect a wide range of evolutionary processes, with implications for gene flow and genetic diversity. Moreover, from an applied perspective, polyandry, and the consequent pattern of sperm use, may locally have an effect on the efficacy of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Laboratory controlled matings, coupled with statistical tests allowing the comparison between the sperm transferred by each mating male and their respective progeny, showed that the paternity advantage of the last mating male is a consequence of sperm precedence: the sperm from the second male are four times more likely to be utilized with respect to those from the first male. This pattern is discussed in the light of possible mechanisms of use and storage.
Sperm use in Tephritids: the case of Ceratitis capitata.
BERTIN, SABRINA;
2006-01-01
Abstract
Our current knowledge of the Ceratitis capitata genome opens the way to explore peculiar traits of its invasiveness, including its reproductive behaviour. The availability of genetic markers such as SSRs, coupled with sound statistical tests and simulated estimates, allowed us to infer that polyandry is a common event among wild medfly populations, with a clear precedence of the last mating male [1, 2]. This behaviour may affect a wide range of evolutionary processes, with implications for gene flow and genetic diversity. Moreover, from an applied perspective, polyandry, and the consequent pattern of sperm use, may locally have an effect on the efficacy of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Laboratory controlled matings, coupled with statistical tests allowing the comparison between the sperm transferred by each mating male and their respective progeny, showed that the paternity advantage of the last mating male is a consequence of sperm precedence: the sperm from the second male are four times more likely to be utilized with respect to those from the first male. This pattern is discussed in the light of possible mechanisms of use and storage.
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