Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster
Differences in courtship signals and perception are well-known among Drosophila species. One such described difference is the dependency on light, and thus presumably vision, for copulation success. Many studies have described a difference in light-dependent copulation success between D. melanogaste...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2020-07-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/9499.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827607524137762816 |
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| author | Michael P. Shahandeh Cameryn Brock Thomas L. Turner |
| author_facet | Michael P. Shahandeh Cameryn Brock Thomas L. Turner |
| author_sort | Michael P. Shahandeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Differences in courtship signals and perception are well-known among Drosophila species. One such described difference is the dependency on light, and thus presumably vision, for copulation success. Many studies have described a difference in light-dependent copulation success between D. melanogaster and D. simulans, identifying D. simulans as a light-dependent species, and D. melanogaster as a light-independent one. However, many of these studies use assays of varying design and few strains to represent the entire species. Here, we attempt to better characterize this purported difference using 11 strains of each species, paired by collection location, in behavioral assays conducted at two different exposure times. We show that, while there is a species-wide difference in magnitude of light-dependent copulation success, D. melanogaster copulation success is, on average, still impaired in the dark at both exposure times we measured. Additionally, there is significant variation in strain-specific ability to copulate in the dark in both species across two different exposure times. We find that this variation correlates strongly with longitude in D. melanogaster, but not in D. simulans. We hypothesize that differences in species history and demography may explain behavioral variation. Finally, we use courtship assays to show that light-dependent copulation success in one D. simulans strain is driven in part by both males and females. We discuss potential differences in courtship signals and/or signal importance between these species and potential for further comparative studies for functional characterization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:55:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b1b26ae0cc5846069052f2aac9bf50b7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:55:26Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-b1b26ae0cc5846069052f2aac9bf50b72023-12-03T10:05:03ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592020-07-018e949910.7717/peerj.9499Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogasterMichael P. Shahandeh0Cameryn Brock1Thomas L. Turner2Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of AmericaEcology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of AmericaEcology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of AmericaDifferences in courtship signals and perception are well-known among Drosophila species. One such described difference is the dependency on light, and thus presumably vision, for copulation success. Many studies have described a difference in light-dependent copulation success between D. melanogaster and D. simulans, identifying D. simulans as a light-dependent species, and D. melanogaster as a light-independent one. However, many of these studies use assays of varying design and few strains to represent the entire species. Here, we attempt to better characterize this purported difference using 11 strains of each species, paired by collection location, in behavioral assays conducted at two different exposure times. We show that, while there is a species-wide difference in magnitude of light-dependent copulation success, D. melanogaster copulation success is, on average, still impaired in the dark at both exposure times we measured. Additionally, there is significant variation in strain-specific ability to copulate in the dark in both species across two different exposure times. We find that this variation correlates strongly with longitude in D. melanogaster, but not in D. simulans. We hypothesize that differences in species history and demography may explain behavioral variation. Finally, we use courtship assays to show that light-dependent copulation success in one D. simulans strain is driven in part by both males and females. We discuss potential differences in courtship signals and/or signal importance between these species and potential for further comparative studies for functional characterization.https://peerj.com/articles/9499.pdfDrosophilaCourtshipSignalsPerceptionVisionVariation |
| spellingShingle | Michael P. Shahandeh Cameryn Brock Thomas L. Turner Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster PeerJ Drosophila Courtship Signals Perception Vision Variation |
| title | Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster |
| title_full | Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster |
| title_fullStr | Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster |
| title_full_unstemmed | Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster |
| title_short | Light dependent courtship behavior in Drosophila simulans and D. melanogaster |
| title_sort | light dependent courtship behavior in drosophila simulans and d melanogaster |
| topic | Drosophila Courtship Signals Perception Vision Variation |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/9499.pdf |
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