Drosophila female courtship and mating behaviors: sensory signals, genes, neural structures and evolution
Section snippets
Introduction: Drosophila female courtship behavior has been poorly studied so far
Sexual selection acting through female choice of the best mate is an extremely important process in shaping the evolution of animal communication [1]. For this reason, female sexual behavior has been extensively investigated in many species, but not in Drosophila melanogaster, one of the best-studied model organisms. In this species, males show very obvious courtship behaviors which are easy to observe and quantify [2•] whereas the most conspicuous behaviors shown by females are what appear to
Effect of multiple male sensory signals
There is an obvious sexual dimorphism in D. melanogaster premating behavior, but a detailed description of courtship is necessary to detect the subtle behavioral sequences that are crucial for mating success. Detailed analysis of the dynamic interaction between the two partners has allowed us to determine the nature of the sensory signals involved and to pinpoint the tissues involved in the emission and perception of these signals. Such fine-grained analysis has revealed the existence of
Genes and neural substrate involved
Genes of the sex determination pathway such as transformer (tra), transformer 2 (tra2), fru and doublesex (dsx) play a pivotal role in the realisation of sex-specific behaviors [34]. The sexual identity of sex-specific neurons seems to be specified by the presence/absence of fru and/or dsx [35, 36]. In particular, females expressing the male fru products (FruM) court as though they were males [37] although much less vigorously and in a very simplified manner [38•]. Moreover, male-like courtship
Copulatory and postmating behaviors
Copulation posture and duration are also influenced by both sex partners. The male is normally positioned centrally on the back of the female. This posture is altered after the ablation of a single male genital hair, suggesting that this hair contributes to bilateral symmetry in the mating posture [51]. In wild-type strains, copulation duration is normally very stable (≈15 min) but can vary slightly (±2 min) through the influence of female contact pheromones [30] and a previous mating experience
Plasticity and evolutionary aspects
Learning can affect D. melanogaster female mate choice. The female will gain benefits from selecting the best mate, but her reproductive success may decrease if she postpones mating and egg-laying due to excessive choosiness. Immature females (<2 days old) and females in the postmating refractory period, do not accept courtship. When exposed to courting males, such females learn some of males’ traits such as size and mating ability. If a naive female prefers large size males, her preference can
Conclusion and perspectives
In comparison to the wealth of data on male courtship in D. melanogaster, very few reports have dealt with D. melanogaster female behavior during courtship and the best studied female behaviors are related to her reluctance to mate (in both premating and postmating states). Female precopulatory behavior and its interaction with male courtship can be studied by the targeted manipulation of genes and neurons in either sex partner, allowing us to determine the precise relationship between the
References and recommended reading
Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:
• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest
Acknowledgements
I warmly thank Daisuke Yamamoto, Takaomi Sakai, Stephen Goodwin and Matthew Cobb for critical reading and suggestions on the manuscript, the CNRS and the Burgundy Regional Council for support and funding.
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