title: Egg Viability, Mating Frequency and Male Mating Ability Evolve in Populations of Drosophila melanogaster Selected for Resistance to Cold Shock.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ability to resist temperature shock is an important component of fitness of insects and other ectotherms. Increased resistance to temperature shock is known to affect life-history traits. Temperature shock is also known to affect reproductive traits such as mating ability and viability of gametes. Therefore selection for increased temperature shock resistance can affect the evolution of reproductive traits.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster for resistance to cold shock. We then investigated the evolution of reproductive behavior along with other components of fitness- larval survivorship, adult mortality, fecundity, egg viability in these populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that larval survivorship, adult mortality and fecundity post cold shock were not significantly different between selected and control populations. However, compared to the control populations, the selected populations laid significantly higher percentage of fertile eggs (egg viability) 24 hours post cold shock. The selected populations had higher mating frequency both with and without cold shock. After being subjected to cold shock, males from the selected populations successfully mated with significantly more non-virgin females and sired significantly more progeny compared to control males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A number of studies have reported the evolution of survivorship in response to selection for temperature shock resistance. Our results clearly indicate that adaptation to cold shock can involve changes in components of reproductive fitness. Our results have important implications for our understanding of how reproductive behavior can evolve in response to thermal stress.
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, PO Manauli, Punjab 140306, India.
authors.forename: Karan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, PO Manauli, Punjab 140306, India.
authors.forename: Ekta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kochar
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, PO Manauli, Punjab 140306, India.
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Prasad
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D008297:Male; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology