Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
In Drosophila melanogaster it is well established that male sexual preference emphasizes high fecundity in females and females with larger body sizes. It is hypothesized that male preference for large females is due to a positive correlation between body size and fecundity. Here, we take advantage of a long-running experiment, where lineages of flies were made significantly larger (L-lineages) and smaller (S-lineages) during 400+ generations of artificial selection. In the first part of this study, we measured female Drosophila fecundity, based only on differences in evolved size and found substantial differences in fecundity. In the second part of this study, we focused on determining the range of fecundity within each of the body-size lineages, by scoring the largest and smallest females within each line (i.e. the tails of the distributions), and found that substantial variation has persisted. In the third part of this study, we measured potential female size-correlated effects on egg quality (i.e. size & viability). Taken together, the differences in female fecundity, both between and within lineages creates an intriguing opportunity to explore the evolution of male mate choice.
Included in
Sexual Selection, Female Body Size, and Fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster
In Drosophila melanogaster it is well established that male sexual preference emphasizes high fecundity in females and females with larger body sizes. It is hypothesized that male preference for large females is due to a positive correlation between body size and fecundity. Here, we take advantage of a long-running experiment, where lineages of flies were made significantly larger (L-lineages) and smaller (S-lineages) during 400+ generations of artificial selection. In the first part of this study, we measured female Drosophila fecundity, based only on differences in evolved size and found substantial differences in fecundity. In the second part of this study, we focused on determining the range of fecundity within each of the body-size lineages, by scoring the largest and smallest females within each line (i.e. the tails of the distributions), and found that substantial variation has persisted. In the third part of this study, we measured potential female size-correlated effects on egg quality (i.e. size & viability). Taken together, the differences in female fecundity, both between and within lineages creates an intriguing opportunity to explore the evolution of male mate choice.
Comments
Trevor Fitzgibbon, Canisius College
James Wehner, Canisius College
Dr. Alison Pischedda, Barnard College
Dr. Andrew D. Stewart, Canisius College