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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Effect of host plant quality on male sexual performances and consequences on female reproductive output in a phytophagous moth

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The abundance of phytophagous insects is determined by numerous interacting biotic and abiotic factors. In capital-breeding phytophagous insects, larval host plant quality is a key determinant of the adult phenotype and the performance of both males and females. Curiously, if the effect of host plant quality on female reproductive success is well-established, little effort has been conducted to determine this effect on male reproductive success. Moreover, in Lepidoptera, males transfer to females a spermatophore containing sperm and accessory gland products rich in nutrients that could be reinvested into female reproduction. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate how male larval nutrition on different host cultivars affects male reproductive traits which could, in turn, influence female reproductive output and mate choice strategies in an important grapevine pest, the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana). During these three years, we found that the host cultivar for the larvae strongly influences the energy reserves of male adult moths, affecting ultimately their reproductive potential through the size and content of spermatophores they transfer to females at mating. Moreover, male investment in the spermatophore declines over consecutives matings, suggesting that spermatophores are energetically expensive to produce in this monandrous capital breeding species. Thus ‘male quality’ depends on both the male larval origin and mating history, and females receiving protein-rich spermatophores at mating have an overall greater reproductive output than females mated with poor quality males producing less nutritionally rich spermatophores. Finally, females are able to discriminate among males and mate more with males having high sperm quality (virgin males or males from certain cultivars or geographical origins) to obtain substantial direct benefits.The results of this thesis confirm the importance of considering the “male effect” when trying to understand the evolution of phytophagous populations. Moreover, identifying the ecological conditions that influence the mating success of male and female in crop-pest species may lead to a better management of these crop pests.