Larger males facilitate population expansion in Ophraella communa

文献类型： 外文期刊

第一作者： Zhang, Yan

作者： Zhang, Yan;Zhao, Chenchen;Cui, Shaowei;Chen, Hongsong;Ma, Chao;Guo, Jianying;Wan, Fanghao;Zhou, Zhongshi;Zhao, Chenchen;Ma, Weihua;Chen, Hongsong

作者机构：

关键词： body size; differentially expressed gene; preferential mating; reproductive advantage; seminal fluid protein

期刊名称：JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY （ 影响因子：5.091； 五年影响因子：5.537 ）

ISSN： 0021-8790

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收录情况： SCI

摘要： One of the most intriguing concepts in animal ecology is the reproductive advantages offered by larger body size, and the females prefer to mate with larger males to gain reproductive advantage. Currently, it is not clear how females recognize signs of male 'quality' and what mechanisms are involved in producing offspring with direct or indirect benefits. Our study aims to assess the preferences of females for males in Ophraella communa, determine the reproductive benefits and reveal the underlying mechanism behind this advantage. We demonstrate that male body size is an important determinant in the evolutionary process of O. communa, affecting female mate choice. Moreover, our study establishes that females prefer males with a larger body size, and this could further improve the developmental and reproductive fitness of their offspring. Finally, we focus on the seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) in O. communa, determine differentially expressed genes (i.e. OcACE, OcCBP and OcSFP) by analysing their proteomes and transcriptomes, and define the role of these SFPs-related genes through RNAi. Our study proved that the reproductive benefit of large males may be regulated by biased expression of crucial SFPs genes. The present study advances our understanding of the biological significance of preferential mating.

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