Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 46 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Captive breeding challenges posed by Malaysian and Bornean Peacock-pheasants (Polyplectron malacense and P. schleiermacheri)
    Corder J, Davison G
    Zoo Biol, 2021 Jul;40(4):346-351.
    PMID: 33724508 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21600
    We describe unique reproductive features of two threatened Galliformes species, the Malaysian peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron malacense) and Bornean peacock-pheasant (P. schleiermacheri). These features pose challenges to successful captive breeding to build up sustainable populations for conservation purposes. Single egg clutches in both species mean that reproductive rates are low and population increase is slow. The very rounded eggs of Bornean Peacock-pheasant cause difficulties for egg orientation in incubators. Single chicks with special requirements are poorly suited to rearing by broody bantams and successful husbandry requires increased human time, commitment, and skills.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal
  2. Fulltext Surveillance of Aedes albopictus Skuse breeding preference in selected dengue outbreak localities, peninsular Malaysia
    Rozilawati H, Tanaselvi K, Nazni WA, Mohd Masri S, Zairi J, Adanan CR, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2015 Mar;32(1):49-64.
    PMID: 25801254 MyJurnal
    Entomological surveillance was conducted in order to determine the abundance and to evaluate any changes of biological vectors or ecology, especially in the dengue outbreak areas. The abundance and breeding preference of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti were conducted in selected dengue outbreak localities in three states of peninsular Malaysia namely Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, and Penang Island using ovitraps and larval survey method. It was determined that Ae. albopictus was predominant in most of the localities and found to breed more outdoor than indoor. A wide range of breeding foci were recorded in this study. It was also determined that ovitrap method was more effective to detect the presence of Aedes mosquitoes when the larval survey was at low rate of infestation. The abundance of Ae. albopictus in dengue outbreak localities emphasis that the vector control programme should also target this species together with the primary dengue vector, Ae. aegypti.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  3. Fulltext No evidence for successful interspecific cross-mating of transgenic Aedes aegypti (L.) and wild type Aedes albopictus Skuse
    Lee HL, Aramu M, Nazni WA, Selvi S, Vasan S
    Trop Biomed, 2009 Dec;26(3):312-9.
    PMID: 20237445
    The natural and artificial mating of laboratory bred Aedes albopictus and transgenic Aedes aegypti RIDL-513A-Malaysian strain was conducted. The experiment consisted of crossmating of homologous Ae. aegypti RIDL female symbol X Ae. aegypti RIDL male symbol and reciprocal Ae. aegypti RIDL female symbol X Ae. albopictus WT male symbol. The other set comprised homologous Ae. albopictus WT female symbol X Ae. albopictus WT male symbol and reciprocal Ae. albopictus WT female symbol X Ae. aegypti RIDL male symbol. This study demonstrated that reproductive barriers exist between these two species. Cross insemination occurred between A. albopictus male and Ae. aegypti female and their reciprocals. There was 26.67% and 33.33% insemination rate in Ae. aegypti RIDL female cross-mating with A. albopictus WT male and Ae. albopictus female cross-mating with Ae. aegypti RIDL male, respectively. There was 0% hatchability in both directions of the reciprocals. There was also no embryonation of these eggs which were bleached. Although none of the female Ae. albopictus WT was inseminated in the cross-mating with Ae. albopictus WT female symbol X Ae. aegypti RIDL male symbol, a total of 573 eggs were obtained. The homologous mating was very productive resulting in both high insemination rate and hatchability rates. Generally there was a significantly higher insemination rate with artificial mating insemination of homologous than with artificial mating of reciprocal crosses. Interspecific mating between Ae. aegypti RIDL and Ae. albopictus wild type was not productive and no hybrid was obtained, indicating absence of horizontal transfer of introduced RIDL gene in Ae. aegypti to Ae. albopictus.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  4. Growth and reproductive performance of sambar deer in Sabal Forest Reserve of Sarawak, Malaysia
    Dahlan I, Dawend J
    Trop Anim Health Prod, 2013 Oct;45(7):1469-76.
    PMID: 23475732 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-013-0383-6
    We examined the growth, reproduction, rutting behavior, and health status of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor brookei) in secondary Acacia mangium plantation. The data were collected over 11 years from a breeding herd of 21 stags and 33 hinds in Sabal Forest Reserve, Sarawak, Malaysia. Brody's growth model of the pooled data is Y t  = 148.56 (1 - 0.98e(-0.023t)), which estimates that maximum weights of adults are 184 and 115 kg for males and females respectively. Sambar deer are nonseasonal breeders with the breeding peak in February. Although the earliest age at which a female reached sexual maturity was 11 months, the mean age was 23 ± 7 months. Mean age of first fawning was 32 ± 8 months. Mean gestation period was 259 ± 12 days (n = 82). Stags shed antlers mostly between March and July. Velvet hardens at 103 ± 27 days (n = 23), and velvet harvesting is best at 7-9 weeks when antler length is 25-30 cm. Sambar deer are suitable as a farm species in forest plantations and have a vast potential to uplift rural living standards.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  5. Mating compatibility and competitiveness of transgenic and wild type Aedes aegypti (L.) under contained semi-field conditions
    Lee HL, Vasan S, Ahmad NW, Idris I, Hanum N, Selvi S, et al.
    Transgenic Res, 2013 Feb;22(1):47-57.
    PMID: 22700207 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-012-9625-z
    We conducted the world's first experiments under semi-field conditions (ACL-2 field house) to assess the mating competitiveness of genetically sterile RIDL male mosquitoes (513A strain). The field house is a state-of-the-art, fully-contained trial facility, simulating the living space for a household of 2-4 people in Peninsular Malaysia. Ten genetically sterile RIDL male A. aegypti mosquitoes competed with ten wild type males inside this field house to mate with ten wild type females. Hatched larvae from mated females were screened under a fluorescent microscope for genetic markers to determine if they were fathered by RIDL male or wild type male, and all results were cross-checked by PCR. Two such experiments were conducted, each repeated sufficient number of times. All strains were on a Malaysian lab strain background for the first experiment, while the RIDL males alone were on a recently-colonised Mexican strain background for the second experiment. A total of 52 % of the matings were with RIDL males in the first experiment, while 45 % of the matings were with RIDL (Mexican) males in the second experiment. Statistically, this is not significantly different from 50 % of the matings expected to take place with RIDL males if the latter were as competitive as that of the wild type males. This shows that A. aegypti RIDL-513A has excellent mating competitiveness under semi-field conditions, verifying earlier trends obtained in small lab cages. We also observed high mating compatibility between recently-colonised Mexican RIDL males and lab-reared Malaysian wild type females.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology
  6. Extraction and microencapsulation of khat: effects on sexual motivation and estradiol level in female rats
    Aziz HA, Peh KK, Tan YT
    J Sex Med, 2009 Mar;6(3):682-95.
    PMID: 19143913 DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.01157.x
    Khat (Catha edulis) is an evergreen tree/shrub that is thought to affect sexual motivation or libido. Its positive effect on sexual desire is more frequently observed in females than in males and occurs when khat is chewed. Thus, khat's effects on sexual behavior may depend on the release mode of its active constituent.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology*
  7. Cross-mating between Malaysian strains of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the laboratory
    Nazni WA, Lee HL, Dayang HA, Azahari AH
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2009 Jan;40(1):40-6.
    PMID: 19323032
    Reciprocal and homologous mating experiments between Malaysian Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes were conducted in the laboratory. Two methods were employed, namely an artificial mating technique and a natural cage mating technique. The study demonstrated there exists a strong reproductive isolation between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Insemination occurred in cross-mating experiments between Ae. aegypti females and Ae. albopictus males and also between Ae. albopictus females and Ae. aegypti males. Cross mating between Ae. aegypti females and Ae. albopictus males produced more eggs than that between Ae. albopictus females and Ae. aegypti males with both artificial mating and natural cage mating techniques. The matings did not result in the production of viable eggs by the females. No embryonation of these eggs was observed when the eggs were bleached. With homologous mating Aedes aegypti produced significantly greater numbers of eggs compared to Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, and all the eggs hatched successfully.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology*
  8. Fulltext Social and Reproductive Behavior of Captive Malayan Tapirs' (Tapirus indicus): Interactions with Maternal Experience and Environmental Conditions
    Arumugam KA, Top MM, Ibrahim WNW, Buesching CD, Annavi G
    Sci Rep, 2020 03 05;10(1):4117.
    PMID: 32139707 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60429-0
    Malayan tapirs are listed as endangered and are bred in captivity under governmental management. The success of captive breeding programs varies and the underlying causes are unclear. Here, we investigate how tapir reproduction is affected by previous breeding experience, enclosure type/size and visitor numbers so that appropriate steps can be taken to achieve self-sustaining captive populations. Data on social and reproductive behaviors were collected from six tapirs (three males, three females), from different breeding centers in Peninsular Malaysia for 18 weeks. Results revealed that social and reproductive behavior of both sexes was significantly influenced by social and environmental conditions. Larger enclosure size tended to increase social and reproductive behaviors, whereas high number of visitors reduced initial interaction between males and females. No specific breeding month was confirmed; however, reproductive behaviors were highest in April. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the relationships between social and reproductive behaviors, and captive environments on Malayan tapirs. In future, frequency of sexual interactions should be monitored regularly to identify animals exhibiting below-average frequency and who might, therefore, be prone to reproductive difficulties.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  9. Fulltext Male-lure type, lure dosage, and fly age at feeding all influence male mating success in Jarvis' fruit fly
    Wee SL, Clarke AR
    Sci Rep, 2020 09 14;10(1):15004.
    PMID: 32929156 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72209-x
    Males of certain Dacini fruit flies are strongly attracted to, and feed upon, plant secondary compounds such as methyl eugenol, raspberry ketone and zingerone. The consumed lure is generally found to induce physiological and behavioural changes that enhance the mating performance of lure-fed males. Male Bactrocera jarvisi respond strongly to zingerone from a young age, but only weakly respond to raspberry ketone. We hypothesized that this selective lure-response would be reflected in the physiological importance of the lure to the fly. We found that zingerone feeding by young males resulted in significantly greater mating success in competitive mating trials with lure-deprived flies, but the mating advantage was lost in older males. Lure dosage had a significant effect on the duration of the mating advantage, for example when fed 20 µg of zingerone, the advantage lasted only 1 day post-feeding, but when fed of 50 µg zingerone the advantage lasted 7 days. Raspberry ketone feeding did not confer any mating advantage to males except at one dosage (50 µg) for 1 day after feeding. When given a choice, B. jarvisi females preferred to mate with zingerone-fed versus to raspberry ketone-fed males. This study revealed lure, dosage and age of fly at time of lure administration are all important factors for maximising lure-enhanced fruit fly mating performance. These findings contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the evolution of fruit fly-lure interactions and may help improve fruit fly pest management via the Sterile Insect Technique through semiochemical-mediated enhancement of sterile male mating performance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  10. Fulltext Penetration mechanics of elongated female and male genitalia of earwigs
    Matsumura Y, Kamimura Y, Lee CY, Gorb SN, Rajabi H
    Sci Rep, 2021 04 12;11(1):7920.
    PMID: 33846369 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86864-1
    We unveiled the penile penetration mechanics of two earwig species, Echinosoma horridum, whose intromittent organ, termed virga, is extraordinarily long, and E. denticulatum, whose virga is conversely short. We characterised configuration, geometry, material and bending stiffness for both virga and spermatheca. The short virga of E. denticulatum has a material gradient with the stiffer base, whereas the long virga of E. horridum and the spermathecae of both species are homogeneously sclerotised. The long virga of E. horridum has a lower bending stiffness than the spermatheca. The virga of E. denticulatum is overall less flexible than the spermatheca. We compared our results to a previous study on the penetration mechanics of elongated beetle genitalia. Based on the comparison, we hypothesised that the lower stiffness of the male intromittent organ comparing to the corresponding female structure is a universal prerequisite for the penetration mechanics of the elongated intromittent organ in insects.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology*
  11. Reproductive success of two male morphs in a free-ranging population of Bornean orangutans
    Tajima T, Malim TP, Inoue E
    Primates, 2018 Mar;59(2):127-133.
    PMID: 29387973 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-017-0648-1
    The reproductive success of male primates is not always associated with dominance status. For example, even though male orangutans exhibit intra-sexual dimorphism and clear dominance relationships exist among males, previous studies have reported that both morphs are able to sire offspring. The present study aimed to compare the reproductive success of two male morphs, and to determine whether unflanged males sired offspring in a free-ranging population of Bornean orangutans, using 12 microsatellite loci to determine the paternity of eight infants. A single flanged male sired most of the offspring from parous females, and an unflanged male sired a firstborn. This is consistent with our observation that the dominant flanged male showed little interest in nulliparous females, whereas the unflanged males frequently mated with them. This suggests that the dominant flanged male monopolizes the fertilization of parous females and that unflanged males take advantage of any mating opportunities that arise in the absence of the flanged male, even though the conception probability of nulliparous females is relatively low.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  12. Effects of Eurycoma longifolia Jack on sexual qualities in middle aged male rats
    Ang HH, Ngai TH, Tan TH
    Phytomedicine, 2003;10(6-7):590-3.
    PMID: 13678248 DOI: 10.1078/094471103322331881
    The effects of Eurycoma longifolia Jack were studied on the sexual qualities of middle aged male rats after dosing them with 0.5 g/kg of various fractions of E. longifolia whilst the control group received 3 ml/kg of normal saline daily for 12 weeks. Results showed than E. longifolia Jack enhanced the sexual qualities of the middle aged male rats by decreasing their hesitation time as compared to controls with various fractions of E. longifolia Jack produced 865-916 (91-96), 860-914 (92-98), 850-904 (93-99), 854-890 (95-99), 844-880 (94-98), 840-875 (94-98), 830-870 (94-98), 825-860 (94-98), 820-850 (96-99), 800-840 (93-98), 750-795 (94-99) and 650-754 sec (82-95%) in contrast to controls which produced 950 (100), 934 (100), 910 (100), 900 (100), 895 (100), 890 (100), 885 (100), 880 (100), 855 (100), 860 (100), 800 (100) and 790 sec (100%) throughout the investigation period. Besides these, there was a transient increase in the % of the male rats responding to the right choice after chronic administration of 0.5 g/kg E. longifolia Jack, with more than 50% of the male rats scored right choice after 2 weeks post-treatment and the effect was more prominent at the dose of the observation period. However, there was no sexual enhancement of the middle aged male rats which consumed normal saline since only 45-55% of the male rats responded to right choice throughout the investigation period. Hence, this study shows that E. longifolia Jack enhanced the sexual qualities of the middle aged male rats, further supports the folkuse of E. longifolia Jack as an aphrodisiac.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects*
  13. Expression of neuropeptide Y and gonadotropin-releasing hormone gene types in the brain of female Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) during mouthbrooding and food restriction
    Das K, Ogawa S, Kitahashi T, Parhar IS
    Peptides, 2019 02;112:67-77.
    PMID: 30389346 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2018.10.009
    A cichlid fish, the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), is a maternal mouthbrooder, which exhibits minimum energy expenditure and slower ovarian cycles during mouthbrooding. The objective of this study was to observe changes in the gene expression of key neuropeptides involved in the control of appetite and reproduction, including neuropeptide Y a (NPYa), reproductive neuropeptides: gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH1, GnRH2 and GnRH3) and kisspeptin (Kiss2) during mouthbrooding (4- and 12-days), 12-days of food restriction and 12-days of food restriction followed by refeeding. The food restriction regime showed a significant increase in npya mRNA levels in the telencephalon. However, there were no significant alterations in npya mRNA levels during mouthbrooding. gnrh1 mRNA levels were significantly lower in mouthbrooding female as compared with females with food restriction. gnrh3 mRNA levels were also significantly lower in female with 12-days of mouthbrooding, 12-days of food restriction followed by 12-days of refeeding when compared with controls. There were no significant differences in gnrh2 and kiss2 mRNA levels between groups under different feeding regimes. No significant changes were observed in mRNA levels of receptors for peripheral metabolic signaling molecules: ghrelin (GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b) and leptin (Lep-R). These results suggested that unaffected npya mRNA levels in the telencephalon might contribute to suppression of appetite in mouthbrooding female tilapia. Furthermore, lower gnrh1 and gnrh3 mRNA levels may influence the suppression of reproductive functions such as progression of ovarian cycle and reproductive behaviours, while GnRH2 and Kiss2 may not play a significant roles in reproduction under food restriction condition.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  14. Fulltext Colonized Aedes albopictus and its sexual performance in the wild: implications for SIT technology and containment
    Hamady D, Ruslan NB, Ahmad AH, Rawi CS, Ahmad H, Satho T, et al.
    Parasit Vectors, 2013;6:206.
    PMID: 23856274 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-206
    Mating is a physiological process of crucial importance underlying the size and maintenance of mosquito populations. In sterile and incompatible insect technologies (SIT and IIT), mating is essential for mass production, persistence, and success of released individuals, and is a central parameter for judging the effectiveness of SIT/IIT programs. Some mosquitoes have an enormous reproductive potential for both themselves and pathogens and mating may contribute to persistence of infection in nature. As Aedes albopictus can transmit flaviviruses both sexually and horizontally, and as infected insects are usually derived from laboratory colonies, we investigated the implications of mating between a long-term laboratory colony of Ae. albopictus and wild populations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal
  15. Fulltext Mechanisms of sex determination and transmission ratio distortion in Aedes aegypti
    Hoang KP, Teo TM, Ho TX, Le VS
    Parasit Vectors, 2016 Jan 28;9:49.
    PMID: 26818000 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1331-x
    BACKGROUND: More effective mosquito control strategies are urgently required due to the increasing prevalence of insecticide resistance. The sterile insect technique (SIT) and the release of insects carrying a dominant lethal allele (RIDL) are two proposed methods for environmentally-friendly, species-targeted population control. These methods may be more suitable for developing countries if producers reduce the cost of rearing insects. The cost of control programs could be reduced by producing all-male mosquito populations to circumvent the isolation of females before release without reducing male mating competitiveness caused by transgenes.

    RESULTS: An RNAi construct targeting the RNA recognition motif of the Aedes aegypti transformer-2 (tra-2) gene does not trigger female-to-male sex conversion as commonly observed among dipterous insects. Instead, homozygous insects show greater mortality among m-chromosome-bearing sperm and mm zygotes, yielding up to 100% males in the subsequent generations. The performance of transgenic males was not significantly different to wild-type males in narrow-cage competitive mating experiments.

    CONCLUSION: Our data provide preliminary evidence that the knockdown of Ae. aegypti tra-2 gene expression causes segregation distortion acting at the level of gametic function, which is reinforced by sex-specific zygotic lethality. This finding could promote the development of new synthetic sex distorter systems for the production of genetic sexing mosquito strains.

    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal
  16. Early-life citalopram-induced impairments in sexual behavior and the role of androgen receptor
    Soga T, Wong DW, Putteeraj M, Song KP, Parhar IS
    Neuroscience, 2012 Dec 6;225:172-84.
    PMID: 22960312 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.08.061
    Postnatal treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been found to affect brain development and the regulation of reproduction in rodent models. The normal masculinization process in the brain requires a transient decrease in serotonin (5-HT) levels in the brain during the second postnatal week. Strict regulation of androgen receptor (AR) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) expression is important to control male reproductive activity. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the effects of a potent SSRI (citalopram) on male sexual behavior and expression levels of AR and GnRH in adult male mice receiving either vehicle or citalopram (10mg/kg) daily during postnatal days 8-21. The citalopram-treated male mice showed altered sexual behavior, specifically a significant reduction in the number of intromissions preceding ejaculation compared with the vehicle-treated mice. The citalopram-treated male mice displayed elevated anxiety-like behavior in an open field test and lower locomotor activity in their home cage during the subjective night. Although there was no change in GnRH and AR mRNA levels in the preoptic area (POA), quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunostained AR cell numbers in the medial POA were decreased in the citalopram-treated male mice. These results suggest that the early-life inhibition of 5-HT transporters alters the regulation of AR expression in the medial POA, likely causing decreased sexual behavior and altered home cage activity in the subjective night.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects*
  17. Citalopram (antidepressant) administration causes sexual dysfunction in male mice through RF-amide related peptide in the dorsomedial hypothalamus
    Soga T, Wong DW, Clarke IJ, Parhar IS
    Neuropharmacology, 2010 Jul-Aug;59(1-2):77-85.
    PMID: 20381503 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.03.018
    Citalopram is the most potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) which is used as an antidepressant but causes sexual dysfunction. Whether citalopram induced sexual dysfunction is a result of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), kisspeptin or RF-amide related peptide (RFRP) alteration is unknown. In this study, we tested mice for sexual behavior after vehicle (0.9% NaCl) and citalopram treatment (5 mg/kg) daily for 1 day (acute) and 21 or 28 days (chronic). Effects of acute and chronic treatments on neuronal numbers and mRNA expression of GnRH, kisspeptin and RFRP were measured. In addition, RFRP fiber projections to preoptic (POA)-GnRH neurons were analyzed using double-label immunohistochemistry. The expression of 14 different serotonin receptor types mRNA was examined in immunostained laser dissected single RFRP neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), however only 11 receptors types were identified. Acute citalopram treatment did not affect sexual behavior, whereas, the total duration of intromission was reduced with chronic treatment. There was no effect in the expression of kisspeptin (neuronal numbers and mRNA) in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus and the arcuate nucleus and expression of GnRH (neuronal numbers and mRNA) in the POA after citalopram treatment. However, RFRP neuronal numbers in the DMH and fiber projections to the POA were significantly increased after chronic citalopram treatment, which suggests citalopram induced inhibition of sexual behavior involves the modulation of RFRP through serotonin receptors in the DMH.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects
  18. Interspecific Cross-Mating Between Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Laboratory Strains: Implication of Population Density on Mating Behaviors
    Marcela P, Hassan AA, Hamdan A, Dieng H, Kumara TK
    J Am Mosq Control Assoc, 2015 Dec;31(4):313-20.
    PMID: 26675452 DOI: 10.2987/moco-31-04-313-320.1
    Mating behavior between Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, established colony strains were examined under laboratory conditions (30-cm(3) screened cages) for 5 consecutive days. The effect of selected male densities (30, 20, 10) and female density (20) on the number of swarming, mating pairs, eggs produced, and inseminated females were evaluated. Male densities significantly increased swarming behavior, mating pairs, and egg production of heterospecific females, but female insemination was reduced. Aedes aegypti males mate more readily with heterospecific females than do Ae. albopictus males. The current study suggests that Ae. aegypti males were not species-specific in mating, and if released into the field as practiced in genetically modified mosquito techniques, they may mate with both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus females, hence reducing populations of both species by producing infertile eggs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal*
  19. Zingerone improves mating performance of Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae) through enhancement of male courtship activity and sexual signaling
    Shamshir RA, Wee SL
    J Insect Physiol, 2019 09 26;119:103949.
    PMID: 31563620 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103949
    Certain male fruit flies from the genera Bactrocera and Zeugodacus (Diptera: Tephritidae) actively forage for floral semiochemicals produced by some endemic Bulbophyllum orchids found in tropical and subtropical forests. These floral semiochemicals are largely classified as either phenylbutanoids (e.g., raspberry ketone (RK)) or phenylpropanoids (e.g., methyl eugenol (ME)). Zingerone (ZN) is a phenylbutanoid recently found that structurally resembles ME and RK, both of which are phytochemicals commonly used as male attractants in fruit fly control programmes. It was previously shown that feeding on ME and RK increased the mating success of certain tephritid fruit flies, specifically in B. dorsalis and B. tryoni males, respectively, through enhancement of sexual signaling. However, ZN, which acts as a metabolic enhancer to increase male courtship activity in B. tryoni, did not show the same effect. As fruit fly-phytochemical lure interactions are unique and species-specific phenomena, this study seeks to elucidate the ecological significance of ZN feeding to Zeugodacus tau in terms of sexual signaling. We demonstrate here that ZN feeding by Z. tau males enhanced female attraction and subsequent mating success by increasing male courtship, and the attractiveness of the sexual signals in both wind tunnel and semi-field cage bioassays. In addition, we also demonstrated temporal effects on male behaviour in relation to the amount of lure intake. However, feeding on ZN did not appear to affect the total time spent in copula for Z. tau. This is the first report showing an important role of ZN in increasing courtship activity as well as enhancement of sexual signaling in Z. tau males.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects*
  20. Direct and correlated responses to artificial selection on male mating frequency in the stalk-eyed fly Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni
    Rogers DW, Baker RH, Chapman T, Denniff M, Pomiankowski A, Fowler K
    J Evol Biol, 2005 May;18(3):642-50.
    PMID: 15842493
    Traditionally it was thought that fitness-related traits such as male mating frequency, with a history of strong directional selection, should have little additive genetic variance and thus respond asymmetrically to bidirectional artificial selection. However, recent findings and theory suggest that a balance between selection for increased male mating frequency and opposing selection pressures on physiologically linked traits will cause male mating frequency to have high additive genetic variation and hence respond symmetrically to selection. We tested these hypotheses in the stalk-eyed fly, Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni, in which males hold harems comprising many females and so have the opportunity to mate at extremely high frequencies. We subjected male stalk-eyed flies to artificial selection for increased ('high') and decreased ('low') mating frequency in the presence of ecologically realistic, high numbers of females. High line males mated significantly more often than control or low line males. The direct response to selection was approximately symmetric in the high and low lines, revealing high additive genetic variation for, and no significant genetic constraints on, increased male mating frequency in C. dalmanni. In order to investigate trade-offs that might constrain male mating frequency under natural conditions we examined correlated responses to artificial selection. We measured accessory gland length, testis length and eyespan after 7 and 14 generations of selection. High line males had significantly larger accessory glands than low line males. No consistent correlated responses to selection were found in testis length or eyespan. Our results suggest that costs associated with the production and maintenance of large accessory glands, although yet to be identified, are likely to be a major constraint on mating frequency in natural populations of C. dalmanni.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology*
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links