Title: The mating rate of Drosophila suzukii reduction due to reproductive interference from Drosophila melanogaster
Abstract:Abstract Background Drosophila suzukii is widely distributed. Research has revealed that the presence of Drosophila melanogaster can reduce the emergence and egg laying of D. suzukii . However, the re...Abstract Background Drosophila suzukii is widely distributed. Research has revealed that the presence of Drosophila melanogaster can reduce the emergence and egg laying of D. suzukii . However, the reasons for these phenomena have not yet been reported. To investigate this issue, we sought to answer three questions: Can the presence of D. melanogaster reduce the longevity of D. suzukii ? Does D. melanogaster dominate in larval interspecific competition with D. suzukii ? Does reproductive interference occur between these species; i.e., do individuals of one species (e.g., D. suzukii ) engage in reproductive activities with individuals of the other (e.g., D. melanogaster ) such that the fitness of one or both species is reduced? Results The results showed that the adult offspring number of Drosophila suzukii was significantly reduced when this species was reared with Drosophila melanogaster . The larval interspecific competition had no significant effects on Drosophila suzukii longevity or population size. Surprisingly, Drosophila melanogaster imposed reproductive interference on males of Drosophila suzukii , which led to a significant decline in the rate of successful mating of the latter species. Conclusions The presence of Drosophila melanogaster causes the population size of Drosophila suzukii to decrease through reproductive interference, and the rate of successful mating in Drosophila suzukii is significantly reduced in the presence of Drosophila melanogaster .Read More