During adaptation to different habitat types, both morphological and behavioral traits can undergo divergent selection. Males often fight for status in dominance hierarchies and rank positions predict reproductive suc...During adaptation to different habitat types, both morphological and behavioral traits can undergo divergent selection. Males often fight for status in dominance hierarchies and rank positions predict reproductive success. Ecotypes with reduced fighting abilities should have low reproductive success when migrating into habitats that harbor ecotypes with superior fighting abilities. Livebearing fishes in the Poecilia mexicana-species complex inhabit not only regular freshwater environments, but also independently colonized sulfidic （H2S-containing） habitats in three river drainages. In the current study, we found fighting intensities in staged contests to be considerably lower in some but not all sulfidic surface ecotypes and the sulfidic cave ecotype compared with populations from non-sulfidic surface sites. This is perhaps due to selection imposed by H2S, which hampers oxygen uptake and transport, as well as cellular respiration. Furthermore, migrants from sulfidic habitats may lose fights even if they do not show overall reduced aggressiveness, as phys- iological performance is likely to be challenged in the non-sulfidic environment to which they are not adapted. To test this hypothesis, we simulated migration of H2S-adapted males into H2S-free waters, as well as H2S-adapted cave-dwelling males into sulfidic surface waters. We found that intruders established dominance less often than resident males, independent of whether or not they showed reduced aggressiveness overall. Our study shows that divergent evolution of male aggressive behavior may also contribute to the maintenance of genetic differentiation in this system and we call for more careful evaluation of male fighting abilities in studies on ecological speciation.展开更多
Premating behaviors mediated by pheromones play pivotal roles in animal mating choices.In natural populations of the striped stem borer Chilo suppressalis and the rice leaf roller Cnaphalocrocis medinalis in the rice ...Premating behaviors mediated by pheromones play pivotal roles in animal mating choices.In natural populations of the striped stem borer Chilo suppressalis and the rice leaf roller Cnaphalocrocis medinalis in the rice field habitat,we discovered that Z11-16:Ald,a major component of the C.suppressalis pheromone,modulated the premating behavior of C.medinalis.Z11-16:Ald evoked a strong olfactory response in male antennae and strongly inhibited the sex pheromone trapping of male C.medinalis in the field.The functions of three C.medinalis sex pheromone receptor genes(CmedPR1–3)were verified through heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes.CmedPR1 responded to Z11-18:OH and Z11-18:Ald,as well as the interspecific pheromone compound Z11-16:Ac of sympatric species;CmedPR2 responded to Z13-18:OH and Z13-18:Ald,as well as the sex pheromone compounds Z11-16:Ald and Z9-16:Ald of sympatric species;and CmedPR3 responded to Z11-18:OH and Z13-18:OH,as well as the interspecific pheromones Z11-16:OH,Z9-16:Ald,Z11-16:Ac,and Z11-16:Ald of sympatric species.Thus,CmedPR2 and CmedPR3 share the ligand Z11-16:Ald,which is not a component of the C.medinalis sex pheromone.Therefore,the sex pheromones of interspecific species affected the input of neural signals by stimulating the sex pheromone receptors on the antennae of male C.medinalis moths,thereby inhibiting the olfactory responses of the male moths to the sex pheromones.Our results demonstrate chemical communication among sympatric species in the rice field habitat,the recognition of intra-and interspecific sex pheromones by olfactory receptors,and how insect premating behaviors are modulated to possibly affect resource partitioning.展开更多
The current bumblebee decline leads to inbreeding in populations that fosters a loss of allelic diversity and diploid male production. As diploid males are viable and their offspring are sterile, bumblebee populations...The current bumblebee decline leads to inbreeding in populations that fosters a loss of allelic diversity and diploid male production. As diploid males are viable and their offspring are sterile, bumblebee populations can quickly fall in a vortex of extinction. In this article, we investigate for the first time a potential premating mechanism through a major chemical reproductive trait （male cephalic labial gland secretions） that could prevent monandrous virgin queens from mating with diploid males. We focus our study on the cephalic labial gland secretions of diploid and haploid males ofBombus terrestris （L.）. Contrary to initial expectations, our results do not show any significant differentiation of cephalic labial gland secretions between diploid and haploid specimens. Queens seem therefore to be unable to avoid mating with diploid males based on their compositions of cephalic labial gland secretions. This suggests that the vortex of extinction of diploid males could not be stopped through premating avoidance based on the cephalic labial gland secretions but other mechanisms could avoid mating between diploid males and queens.展开更多
文摘During adaptation to different habitat types, both morphological and behavioral traits can undergo divergent selection. Males often fight for status in dominance hierarchies and rank positions predict reproductive success. Ecotypes with reduced fighting abilities should have low reproductive success when migrating into habitats that harbor ecotypes with superior fighting abilities. Livebearing fishes in the Poecilia mexicana-species complex inhabit not only regular freshwater environments, but also independently colonized sulfidic （H2S-containing） habitats in three river drainages. In the current study, we found fighting intensities in staged contests to be considerably lower in some but not all sulfidic surface ecotypes and the sulfidic cave ecotype compared with populations from non-sulfidic surface sites. This is perhaps due to selection imposed by H2S, which hampers oxygen uptake and transport, as well as cellular respiration. Furthermore, migrants from sulfidic habitats may lose fights even if they do not show overall reduced aggressiveness, as phys- iological performance is likely to be challenged in the non-sulfidic environment to which they are not adapted. To test this hypothesis, we simulated migration of H2S-adapted males into H2S-free waters, as well as H2S-adapted cave-dwelling males into sulfidic surface waters. We found that intruders established dominance less often than resident males, independent of whether or not they showed reduced aggressiveness overall. Our study shows that divergent evolution of male aggressive behavior may also contribute to the maintenance of genetic differentiation in this system and we call for more careful evaluation of male fighting abilities in studies on ecological speciation.
基金supported financially by NSF of China(Grant No.31871956)Zhejiang Province Key R&D Program(Grant No.2018C02027)to Y.D.
文摘Premating behaviors mediated by pheromones play pivotal roles in animal mating choices.In natural populations of the striped stem borer Chilo suppressalis and the rice leaf roller Cnaphalocrocis medinalis in the rice field habitat,we discovered that Z11-16:Ald,a major component of the C.suppressalis pheromone,modulated the premating behavior of C.medinalis.Z11-16:Ald evoked a strong olfactory response in male antennae and strongly inhibited the sex pheromone trapping of male C.medinalis in the field.The functions of three C.medinalis sex pheromone receptor genes(CmedPR1–3)were verified through heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes.CmedPR1 responded to Z11-18:OH and Z11-18:Ald,as well as the interspecific pheromone compound Z11-16:Ac of sympatric species;CmedPR2 responded to Z13-18:OH and Z13-18:Ald,as well as the sex pheromone compounds Z11-16:Ald and Z9-16:Ald of sympatric species;and CmedPR3 responded to Z11-18:OH and Z13-18:OH,as well as the interspecific pheromones Z11-16:OH,Z9-16:Ald,Z11-16:Ac,and Z11-16:Ald of sympatric species.Thus,CmedPR2 and CmedPR3 share the ligand Z11-16:Ald,which is not a component of the C.medinalis sex pheromone.Therefore,the sex pheromones of interspecific species affected the input of neural signals by stimulating the sex pheromone receptors on the antennae of male C.medinalis moths,thereby inhibiting the olfactory responses of the male moths to the sex pheromones.Our results demonstrate chemical communication among sympatric species in the rice field habitat,the recognition of intra-and interspecific sex pheromones by olfactory receptors,and how insect premating behaviors are modulated to possibly affect resource partitioning.
文摘The current bumblebee decline leads to inbreeding in populations that fosters a loss of allelic diversity and diploid male production. As diploid males are viable and their offspring are sterile, bumblebee populations can quickly fall in a vortex of extinction. In this article, we investigate for the first time a potential premating mechanism through a major chemical reproductive trait （male cephalic labial gland secretions） that could prevent monandrous virgin queens from mating with diploid males. We focus our study on the cephalic labial gland secretions of diploid and haploid males ofBombus terrestris （L.）. Contrary to initial expectations, our results do not show any significant differentiation of cephalic labial gland secretions between diploid and haploid specimens. Queens seem therefore to be unable to avoid mating with diploid males based on their compositions of cephalic labial gland secretions. This suggests that the vortex of extinction of diploid males could not be stopped through premating avoidance based on the cephalic labial gland secretions but other mechanisms could avoid mating between diploid males and queens.
