title: Transgenerational effects of sexual interactions and sexual conflict: non-sires boost the fecundity of females in the following generation.
abstract: The consequences of sexual interactions extend beyond the simple production of offspring. These interactions typically entail direct effects on female fitness, but may also impact the life histories of later generations. Evaluating the cross-generational effects of sexual interactions provides insights into the dynamics of sexual selection and conflict. Such studies can elucidate whether offspring fitness optima diverge across sexes upon heightened levels of sexual interaction among parents. Here, we found that, in Drosophila melanogaster, components of reproductive success in females, but not males, were contingent on the nature of sexual interactions experienced by their mothers. In particular, maternal sexual interactions with non-sires enhanced female fecundity in the following generation. This highlights the importance of non-sire influences of sexual interactions on the expression of offspring life histories.
authors: Doñana Biological Station, Spanish Research Council CSIC, c/ Americo Vespucio, s/n, Isla de la Cartuja 41092, Sevilla, Spain Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology M092, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, 6009 Western Australia, Australia paco.garcia@ebd.csic.es.
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Garcia-Gonzalez
authors: School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
authors: Damian K
authors: DK
authors: Dowling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Drosophila melanogaster; indirect genetic effects; interacting phenotypes; parental effects; sexual conflict; sexual selection