title: Feeding, fecundity and lifespan in female Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: Male seminal fluid proteins induce a profound remodelling of behavioural, physiological and gene signalling pathways in females of many taxa, and typically cause elevated egg production and decreased sexual receptivity. In Drosophila melanogaster, these effects can be mediated by an ejaculate 'sex peptide' (SP), which, in addition, contributes significantly to the cost of mating in females. Recent research has revealed that SP can stimulate female post-copulatory feeding, raising the possibility that the widespread female cost of mating could be due to over-feeding. In this study, we used D. melanogaster as a model to test this hypothesis. We first show that elevated post-mating feeding is dependent upon egg production and does not occur in sterile ovoD1 mutant females. This conclusion was also supported by the increase in feeding of virgin females whose egg production was experimentally elevated. We then demonstrated that sterile ovoD1 and fertile females experienced identical survival costs of mating, related to their frequency of mating and not to female feeding rate or to egg production. We conclude that female mating costs are not the result of over-feeding, but may be due to other, potentially more direct, effects of ejaculate molecules.
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wigby
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Boone
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Partridge
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chapman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D014157:Transcription Factors; C103226:fru protein, Drosophila