Effects of multiple matings on reproductive fitness of male and female Diaeretiella rapae

Kant, Rashmi and Trewick, S. and Sandanayaka, M. and Godfrey, A.J.R. and Minor, M. (2012) Effects of multiple matings on reproductive fitness of male and female Diaeretiella rapae. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 145 . pp. 215-221. ISSN 0013-8703

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Abstract

Mating frequency and the amount of sperm transferred during mating have important consequences on progeny sex ratio and fitness of haplodiploid insects. Production of female offspring may be limited by the availability of sperm for fertilizing eggs. This study examined multiple mating and its effect on fitness of the cabbage aphid parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae McIntosh (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae). Female D. rapae mated once, whereas males mated with on average more than three females in a single day. The minimum time lag between two consecutive matings by a male was 3 min, and the maximum number of matings a male achieved in a day was eight. Sperm depletion occurred as a consequence of multiple mating in D. rapae. The number of daughters produced by females that mated with multiple-mated males was negatively correlated with the number of matings achieved by these males. Similarly, the proportion of female progeny decreased in females that mated with males that had already mated three times. Although the proportion of female progeny resulting from multiple mating decreased, the decrease was quicker when the mating occurred on the same day than when the matings occurred once per day over several days. Mating success of males initially increased after the first mating, but then males became ‘exhausted’ in later matings; their mating success decreased with the number of prior matings. The fertility of females was affected by mating with multiplemated males. The study suggests that male mating history affects the fitness of male and female D. rapae.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) > School of Agriculture and Food Technology
Depositing User:	Rashmi Kant
Date Deposited:	26 Aug 2013 22:38
Last Modified:	01 Aug 2016 23:42
URI:	http://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/6392

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