Search results for "courtship behaviour"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
Genetic identification of neurons controlling a sexually dimorphic behaviour
2000
0960-9822 (Print) Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, locomotor activity is sexually dimorphic: female flies constantly modulate their activity pattern whereas males show a steadier, stereotyped walking pace [1]. Here, we mapped the area of the brain controlling this behavioural dimorphism. Adult male Drosophila expressing a dominant feminising transgene in a small cluster of neurons in the pars intercerebralis exhibited a female-like pattern of locomotor activity. Genetic ablation of these neurons prevented the feminisation of the locomotor activity of transgenic males. The results suggest that this cluster of neurons modulates sex-sp…
Implication of an odorant-binding protein in precopulatory behaviour and interaction with the bacterial microbiota
2023
Chemoreception allows animals to detect nutritive food and avoid toxic compounds. Volatile and non-volatile chemical compounds, which are detected by olfactory and gustatory sensory organs, can trigger feeding and reproductive behaviours in animals such as Drosophila melanogaster. Inside chemosensory organs, perireceptor proteins like odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) serve to transport odorant and tastant molecule to dedicated receptors. OBPs are not only involved in chemoreception but also in several other functions. A recent study revealed an interaction between insect microbiota and OBP expression while another one showed that microbes can promote nutrient harvesting on food. In our proje…
A female-produced short-range sex pheromone in the egg parasitoid Trissolcus brochymenae
2012
The potential for short-range sex pheromone communication by the egg parasitoid wasp Trissolcus brochymenae (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) was investigated in closed arena bioassays. Males of this parasitoid showed more antennal drumming and more frequent mounting behaviour on 1- to 2-d-old virgin females compared with 8-d-old virgin females. Male copulation attempts were fewer with previously mated females than with virgin females. Males courted and made copulation attempts with 1- to 2-d-old female cadavers, but not with male cadavers or with female cadavers rinsed in organic solvents of different polarities. Male attraction to female cadavers was re-established by treating cadavers with a…