title: Sperm-depleted males influence the reproductive behaviour of conspecifics.
abstract: In many insect species, sperm-depleted males (SDMs, i.e. males that have exhausted their sperm after a given number of matings) remain sexually active and continue to mate females. Here, we investigated the behavioural modifications that occur in both sexes of the parasitoid Asobara tabida Nees (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), after matings by fertile males and sperm-depleted males. We show that (i) virgin females, mated females and females mated to a SDM exhibited different behaviours and that (ii) males responded differently to females depending on whether the females had previously mated with an SDM or not. Our findings demonstrate that SDM influenced the reproductive behaviour of both males and females, especially with regard to male responsiveness and female attractiveness. These findings are discussed in the context of adaptive behaviour and fitness maximization in both males and females.
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 4-5, Place Croix du Sud B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, philippe.louapre@mail-univscience.com.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Louâpre
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Llopis
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martel
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Baaren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*