Title: | "A set of female pheromones affects reproduction before, during and after mating in Drosophila" |
Address: | "Unite de Recherche 5548 Associee au Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Faculte des Sciences, Universite de Bourgogne, 6, Boulevard Gabriel, 21 000 Dijon, France" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 0022-0949 (Print) 0022-0949 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Sex pheromones are chemical signals used for mate attraction and discrimination in many invertebrate species. These compounds are often complex mixtures with different components having different effects. We tested live Drosophila melanogaster mutant female flies genetically depleted for unsaturated cuticular hydrocarbons, which were then perfumed with these substances to measure their influence on various aspects of reproduction. Female pheromones of the control Cs strain enhanced female attractivity, copulation duration and tended to decrease the number of female progeny of mutant females mated with Cs males, but no dose-dependent effect was found. Cs and variant males showed different response to Cs female pheromone, suggesting a strain-specific coadaptation of female and male characters. The fact that female pheromones induced reciprocal effects on the frequency of the genes contributed by females and males suggests that these substances regulate coevolutionary processes between the sexes" |
Keywords: | "Analysis of Variance Animals Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology Female Fertility/drug effects Male Reproduction/drug effects Sex Attractants/*pharmacology/physiology Sex Ratio Sexual Behavior, Animal/*drug effects Species Specificity;" |
Notes: | "MedlineMarcillac, Fabrice Ferveur, Jean-Francois eng Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2004/10/09 J Exp Biol. 2004 Oct; 207(Pt 22):3927-33. doi: 10.1242/jeb.01236" |