Social effects on fruit fly courtship song. Issue 1 (10th December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Marie‐Orleach, Lucas; Bailey, Nathan W.; Ritchie, Michael G.
• Is Part Of: Ecology and evolution. Volume 9:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 410
• Page End: 416
• Publication Date: 2018-12-10
• Subjects: acoustic signals -- behavioral plasticity -- reproductive isolation -- social learning -- speciation; Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4759
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-7758

Abstract

Abstract: Courtship behavior in Drosophila has often been described as a classic innate behavioral repertoire, but more recently extensive plasticity has been described. In particular, prior exposure to acoustic signals of con‐ or heterspecific males can change courtship traits in both sexes that are liable to be important in reproductive isolation. However, it is unknown whether male courtship song itself is socially plastic. We examined courtship song plasticity of two species in the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup. Sexual isolation between the species is influenced by two male song traits, the interpulse interval (IPI) and sinesong frequency (SSF). Neither of these showed plasticity when males had prior experience of con‐ and heterospecific social partners. However, males of both species produced longer bursts of song during courtship when they were exposed to social partners (either con‐ or heterospecific) than when they were reared in isolation. D. melanogaster carrying mutations affecting short‐ or medium‐term memory showed a similar response to the social environment, not supporting a role for learning. Our results demonstrate that the amount of song a male produces during courtship is plastic depending on the social environment, which might reflect the advantage of being able to respond to variation in intrasexual competition, but that song structure itself is relatively inflexible, perhaps due to strong selection against hybridization. Abstract : We tested the social plasticity of courtship song of male Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans . We first manipulated the social environment by raising focal males either in isolation, with five conspecific males, or with five heterospecific males. Then, we recorded the courtship song. Males produced longer pulse song bursts after being exposed to (any) males. However, the key parameters of courtship songs: interpulse interval (IPI) and sinesong frequency (SSF) were not affected by the male social environment.