Koppik Mareike, Specker Jan-Hendrik, Lindenbaum Ina, Fricke Claudia
Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany.
Yale J Biol Med. 2018 Dec 21;91(4):399-408. eCollection 2018 Dec.
The accessory gland (AG) produces seminal fluid proteins that are transferred to the female upon mating in many insects. These seminal fluid proteins often promote a male's post-copulatory reproductive success. Despite its crucial function many males eclose with a small gland not yet containing the full set of proteins. Thus, they need a physiological maturation period. Using , we tested whether this physiological maturation is linked to behavioral maturation in males and to what extent seminal fluid allocation patterns are influenced by physiological maturation. To that end, we measured AG protein content (as a proxy for physiological maturation) of young, immature males that were either successful in gaining a mating, but prevented from transferring seminal fluid proteins, or unsuccessful, thus using mating success as a proxy for behavioral maturation. Furthermore, we compared ejaculate allocation in immature and mature males in a single mating. Though mating success and gland maturation increase with male age, we found no evidence for a fine-tuned synchronization of behavioral and physiological maturation in males. This is especially surprising since we found reduced ejaculate allocation in very young, immature males, hinting at reduced fitness benefits from early matings in .
附属腺（AG）会产生精液蛋白，在许多昆虫中，这些精液蛋白在交配时会传递给雌性。这些精液蛋白通常会促进雄性交配后的繁殖成功。尽管其功能至关重要，但许多雄性羽化时腺体较小，尚未包含全套蛋白质。因此，它们需要一个生理成熟期。我们通过实验测试了这种生理成熟是否与雄性的行为成熟有关，以及精液分配模式在多大程度上受生理成熟的影响。为此，我们测量了年轻的未成熟雄性的附属腺蛋白质含量（作为生理成熟的指标），这些雄性要么成功获得交配机会，但被阻止传递精液蛋白；要么未成功获得交配机会，从而将交配成功作为行为成熟的指标。此外，我们比较了未成熟和成熟雄性在单次交配中的射精分配情况。尽管交配成功率和腺体成熟度随雄性年龄增长而增加，但我们没有发现雄性行为和生理成熟存在微调同步的证据。这尤其令人惊讶，因为我们发现非常年轻的未成熟雄性射精量减少，这表明在[具体物种]中早期交配的适应性益处降低。
