Meeting Abstract

P3.106  Saturday, Jan. 5  Protein feeding and juvenile hormone signaling interact to set male reproductive success in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis. IMPERATORE, K.A.*; TANG, A.F.; HAHN, D.A.; University of Florida; University of Florida; University of Florida kailee13@ufl.edu

The role of nutrition, particularly protein, in reproductive success in many species of insects has been well established. Juvenile hormone plays key roles in insect reproduction regulating vitellogenesis and egg development in females in many species of insects. However, the role of JH in male reproduction is less well known. The current model is that protein feeding leads to JH synthesis which subsequently regulates reproductive physiology in both males and females. We performed two experiments to determine the relative importance of protein feeding and JH to male reproduction in the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis. In the first experiment, some males that were fed protein or were protein starved were treated with the juvenile hormone analogue methoprene and their success in inseminating females was observed. Similarly in the second experiment, some males that were fed protein or were protein starved were treated with the precocene, a toxin that inhibits JH synthesis by destroying the corpora allota, and their success in inseminating females was likewise observed. We found that protein feeding had a large effect on male mating. Methoprene treatment had a smaller, but still significant effect while precocene treatment had no apparent effect.