Abstract
We examined the hypothesis that adult diet affects the reproductive success of male Mediterranean fruit flies. In particular we determined whether protein-fed males copulated more frequently than protein-deprived males. Furthermore, we determined whether the nutritional status of their first sexual partner affects the renewal of female receptivity. Males fed no protein copulated at a significantly lower rate than did males fed protein. In both diet groups, size was significantly associated with copulatory success. Protein-deprived males transferred significantly more sperm to their mates than did protein-fed males. However, significantly more females mated to protein-deprived males re-mated on the following day. We conclude that male diet is a significant factor in determining male reproductive success. Male diet affects the ability to gain copulations with virgin females, and the receptivity of these females to further copulations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 59-66 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Animal Behaviour |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1997 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Moshe Coll, Phil Taylor and Meirav Warburg for comments on the manuscript and Hillary Voet and Moshe Coll for advice on data analysis. Roy Kaspi assisted in the laboratory. Flies were reared and generously provided by R. Akiva and Y. Rossler of the Israel Citrus Board. Supported by grants from the Israel Ministry of Arts and Sciences and the National Science Foundation to B.Y.