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Hybrid male sterility between Drosophila willistoni species is caused by male failure to transfer sperm during copulation

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Ecology and Evolution, May 2015
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Title
Hybrid male sterility between Drosophila willistoni species is caused by male failure to transfer sperm during copulation
Published in
BMC Ecology and Evolution, May 2015
DOI 10.1186/s12862-015-0355-8
Pubmed ID
Authors

Alberto Civetta, Chelsea Gaudreau

Abstract

The biological concept of species stresses the importance of understanding what mechanisms maintain species reproductively isolated from each other. Often such mechanisms are divided into premating and postmating, with the latest being the result of either prezygotic or postzygotic isolation barriers. Drosophila willistoni quechua and Drosophila willistoni willistoni are two subspecies that experience reproductive isolation. When a D. w. quechua female is crossed with a D. w. willistoni male, the hybrid males (F1QW) are unable to father progeny; however, the reciprocal cross produces fertile hybrids. Thus, the mechanism of isolation is unidirectional hybrid male sterility. However, the sterile F1QW males contain large amounts of motile sperm. Here we explore whether pre-copulatory or post-copulatory pre-zygotic mechanisms serve as major deterrents in the ability of F1QW males to father progeny. Comparisons of parental and hybrid males copulation durations showed no significant reduction in copulation duration of F1QW males. Interrupted copulations of the parental species confirmed that sperm transfer occurs before the minimum copulation duration registered for F1QW males. However, we found that when females mate with F1QW males, sperm is not present inside the female storage organs and that the lack of sperm in storage is due to failure to transfer sperm rather than spillage or active sperm dumping by females. Sterility of F1QW hybrid males is primarily driven by their inability to transfer sperm during copulation.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 19 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United States 1 5%
Unknown 18 95%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 5 26%
Researcher 5 26%
Student > Ph. D. Student 3 16%
Student > Postgraduate 2 11%
Student > Doctoral Student 1 5%
Other 3 16%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 13 68%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 4 21%
Unspecified 1 5%
Medicine and Dentistry 1 5%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 01 May 2015.
All research outputs
#20,656,161
of 25,373,627 outputs
Outputs from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#3,267
of 3,714 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#206,515
of 278,920 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Ecology and Evolution
#57
of 67 outputs
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