Female x male interactions in Drosophila sperm competition.

In several organisms, the success of a male's sperm in multiply inseminated females depends on the male's genotype. In Drosophila, the female also plays a role in determining which sperm are successful. Pairwise tests among six isogenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster were performed to determine whether there is a genotype-specific interaction in the success of sperm. The success of a particular male's sperm was found to depend on the genotype of the female with which he mates, providing evidence for an interaction with profound evolutionary consequences.