The function and evolution of male and female genitalia in Phyllophaga Harris scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
| Autor: | J. Park, Maxi Polihronakis Richmond, Charles S. Henry |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Male
0106 biological sciences 0301 basic medicine Scale (anatomy) Insecta Male genitalia Phyllophaga Zoology Morphology (biology) Genitalia Male 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences Animals Sex organ Genitalia Mating Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Coevolution Scarabaeidae biology Genetic Variation Genitalia Female biology.organism_classification Biological Evolution Coleoptera 030104 developmental biology Female |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 29:2276-2288 |
| ISSN: | 1420-9101 1010-061X |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jeb.12955 |
| Popis: | Genitalia diversity in insects continues to fuel investigation of the function and evolution of these dynamic structures. Whereas most studies have focused on variation in male genitalia, an increasing number of studies on female genitalia have uncovered comparable diversity among females, but often at a much finer morphological scale. In this study, we analysed the function and evolution of male and female genitalia in Phyllophaga scarab beetles, a group in which both sexes exhibit genitalic diversity. To document the interaction between male and female structures during mating, we dissected flash-frozen mating pairs from three Phyllophaga species and investigated fine-scale morphology using SEM. We then reconstructed ancestral character states using a species tree inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear loci to elucidate and compare the evolutionary history of male and female genitalia. Our dissections revealed an interlocking mechanism of the female pubic process and male parameres that appears to improve the mechanical fit of the copulatory position. The comparative analyses, however, did not support coevolution of male and female structures and showed more erratic evolution of the female genitalia relative to males. By studying a group that exhibits obvious female genitalic diversity, we were able to demonstrate the relevance of female reproductive morphology in studies of male genital diversity. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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