Heys, C, Lizé, A, Colinet, H, Price, TAR, Prescott, M, Ingleby, F and Lewis, Z. 2018. Evidence That the Microbiota Counteracts Male Outbreeding Strategy by Inhibiting Sexual Signaling in Females. Datasheet1. [Online]. Frontiers. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00029.s001
Heys, C, Lizé, A, Colinet, H, Price, TAR, Prescott, M, Ingleby, F and Lewis, Z. Evidence That the Microbiota Counteracts Male Outbreeding Strategy by Inhibiting Sexual Signaling in Females. Datasheet1 [Internet]. Frontiers; 2018. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00029.s001
Heys, C, Lizé, A, Colinet, H, Price, TAR, Prescott, M, Ingleby, F and Lewis, Z (2018). Evidence That the Microbiota Counteracts Male Outbreeding Strategy by Inhibiting Sexual Signaling in Females. Datasheet1. [Data Collection]. Frontiers. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00029.s001
Description
The microbiota is increasingly being recognized as having important impacts on many host biological processes. However, evidence of its effects on animal communication and breeding strategy is lacking. In this three-factorial study, we show that females were more willing to mate with related males, with relatedness likely being assessed through the microbiota. By contrast, male mating investment is concurrently determined by both the relatedness and microbiota status of the female. When the microbiota in female Drosophila melanogaster is altered by an antibiotic, male investment in sperm number increased when mating with unrelated females compared to related ones. Contrastingly, the presence of an intact microbiota in females canceled this male outbreeding strategy. As a consequence, the microbiota, when intact, decreased the fitness of the mating couple. Furthermore, we showed that female sexual signaling (cuticular hydrocarbons), with regards to kin recognition, significantly interacts with microbiota. Interestingly, the interaction is significant for hydrocarbons expressed by both sexes, but not for female-specific compounds. Taken together, our results suggest that microbiota can influence kin recognition by disfavoring male outbreeding strategies, likely by inhibiting key olfactory sexual signaling. This represents the first evidence of a host outbreeding strategy counteracted by their microbiota.
Data capture method | Measurements and tests |
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Date (Date published in a 3rd party system) | 22 March 2018 |
Language(s) of written materials | English |
Data Creators | Heys, C, Lizé, A, Colinet, H, Price, TAR, Prescott, M, Ingleby, F and Lewis, Z |
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LSHTM Faculty/Department | Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health > Dept of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology |
Participating Institutions | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom |
Date Deposited | 02 Jul 2021 09:17 |
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Last Modified | 28 Oct 2022 15:17 |
Publisher | Frontiers |