Postcopulatory sexual selection in an arctiid moth (Utetheisa ornatrix).
نویسندگان
چکیده
The offspring of twice-mated female Utetheisa ornatrix show low incidence of mixed paternity. Most progeny are sired exclusively by one male, the larger one, irrespective of parental age, male pyrrolizidine alkaloid content, mating order, between-mating interval, or duration of copulation. Data are presented suggesting that the female herself may exert control over the process by which one set of sperm is utilized at the expense of the other. Evidence for such postcopulatory female choice of sperm had not previously been obtained for an insect. Promiscuity provides the female with a means for accruing nuptial gifts (nutrients, defensive alkaloids). Sperm selection provides her with the option of utilizing sperm from larger, potentially more fit, males.
منابع مشابه
Reproductive benefits derived from defensive plant alkaloid possession in an arctiid moth (Utetheisa ornatrix).
The moth Utetheisa ornatrix (family Arctiidae) depends on pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) for defense. It sequesters the toxins as a larva from its food plants (Crotalaria species: family Fabaceae) and retains them through metamorphosis. We report here that PA-possession in the adult female U. ornatrix has a life-shortening effect, suggesting that, by putting the compounds to use, the moth may be...
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Local adaptation of parasites to their hosts due to coevolution is a central prediction of many theories in evolutionary biology. However, empirical studies looking for parasite local adaptation show great variation in outcomes, and the reasons for such variation are largely unknown. In a previous study, we showed adaptive differentiation in the arctiid moth Utetheisa ornatrix to its host plant...
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عنوان ژورنال:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
دوره 90 10 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 1993