Abstract
Experimental studies of the evolution of reproductive isolation in real time are a powerful way to reveal the way that fundamental processes, such as mate choice, initiate divergence. Mate choice, while frequently described in females, can occur in either sex, and can be affected by the genetics or environment of an individual. Here we describe simple protocols for assessing mating outcomes in fruit flies, which in this context can be used to assess reproductive isolation derived from rearing on different diets over multiple generations.
Keywords: Ecological adaptation, Diet, Assortative mating, Reproductive isolation, Drosophila, Mate choice, Behavioural ecology
Background
Drosophila melanogaster is an important model for studying sexual selection, of which mate choice is a central component. Mate choice can be effected by many different variables such as direct and indirect genetic effects, environment and nutrition. This protocol was implemented in the previously published study (Leftwich et al., 2017). In that study, this assay was combined with microbiome characterization and manipulation to assess the impact of splitting a single population into two isolated groups reared on different diets over multiple generations.
Materials and Reagents
Equipment
Software
Procedure
Data analysis
Recipes
Dispensing: All media can be dispensed into 200 ml Glass bottles, Drosophila vials or Petri dishes as required using a food pump dispenser.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Leonela Z Carabajal Paladino and Wayne Rostant for providing the images for Figures 1 and 2 respectively. This is a version of the protocol described in Leftwich et al. (2017) which was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Research Grant BB/K000489/1 (to Tracey Chapman, Philip Leftwich and Matt Hutchings).
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests or conflicts of interest.
References
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