Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Development of Male- and Female-Specific Sexual Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

  • Chapter
Genome Analysis in Eukaryotes

Abstract

Alfred Sturtevant, one of the fathers of modem genetics, was the first to describe the complex courtship ritual that males from the common pomace fly species Drosophila melanogaster (then called Drosophila ampelophila) perform in response to conspecific females. In his 1915 paper, Sturtevant showed that the courtship behaviors are male-specific, in the sense that females do not perform them. In addition, he noted that the ability to elicit vigorous, prolonged courtship from males (“sex appeal”) is, for the most part, a female-specific characteristic.

The wren goes to ‘t’ and the small gilded fly Does lecher in my sight.

Let copulation thrive.

Shakespeare, King Lear

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Antony, C., and Jallon, J.-M. (1981). Evolution des hydrocarbures comportalement actifs de Drosophila melanogaster au cours de maturation sexuelle. CR Acad. Sci. 292, 239–242.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Antony, C., Davis, T.L., Carlson, D.A., Pechine, J.-M., and Jallon, J.-M. (1985). Compared behavioral responses of male Drosophila melanogaster (Canton-S) to natural and synthetic aphrodisiacs. J. Chem. Ecol. 11, 1617–1629.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, B.S. (1989). Sex in flies: the splice of life. Nature 340, 521–524.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, B.S., and Ridge, K.A. (1980). Sex and the single cell. I. On the action of major loci affecting sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 94, 383–423.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, B.S., and Wolfner, M.F. (1988). A molecular analysis of doublesex, a bifunctional gene that controls both male and female sexual differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster. Genes Devel. 2, 447–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belote, J.M., and Baker, B.S. (1987). Sexual behavior: its genetic control control during development and adulthood in Drosophila melanogaster. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 8026–8030.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blomquist, G.J., Tillman-Wall, J.A., Guo, L., Quilici, D.R., Gu, P., and Schal, C. (1993). Hydrocarbon and hydrocarbon derived sex pheromones in insects: biochemistry and endocrine regulation. In “Insect Lipids: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology” ( D.W. Stanley-Samuelson and D.R. Nelson, eds.), pp. 317–351. University of Nebraska, Lincon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bodenstein, D. (1950). The postembryonic development of Drosophila. In “Biology of Drosophila” (M. Demerec, ed.), pp. 275–367. Hafner, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouhouche, A., Benziane, T., and Vaysse, G. (1993). Effects de deux mutations neurologiques, minibrain 3 et no-bridge xs49 sur la parade nuptiale chez Drosophila melanogaster. Can. J. Zool. 71, 985–990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burtis, K.C., and Wolfner, M.F. (1962). The view from the bottom: sex-specific traits and their control in Drosophila. Sem. Devel. Biol. 3, 331–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butterworth, F.M. (1969). Lipids of Drosophila: a newly discovered lipid in the male. Science 163, 1356–1357.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Curcillo, P.C., and Tompkins, L. (1987). The ontogeny of sex appeal in Drosophila melanogaster males. Behay. Genet. 17, 81–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Belle, J.S., and Heisenberg, M. (1994). Associative learning in Drosophila abolished by chemical ablation of mushroom bodies. Science 263, 692–695.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferveur, J.-F.,and Jallon, J.-M. (1993). nerd,a locus on chromosome III,affects male reproductive behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Naturwiss. 80, 474–475.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferveur, J.-F., Stortkuhl, K.F., Stocker, R.F., and Greenspan, R.J. (1995) Genetic feminization of brain structures and changed sexual orientation in male Drosophila. Science 267, 902–905.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, S.C., Napolitano, L.M., McRobert, S.P., and Tompkins, L. (1989). Development of behavioral competence in young Drosophila melanogaster adults. J. Insect Behay. 2, 575–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gailey, D.A., and Hall, J.C. (1989). Behavior and cytogenetics of fruitless in Drosophila melanogaster: different courtship defects caused by separate, closely linked lesions. Genetics 121, 773–785.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gailey, D.A., Lacaillade, R.C., and Hall, J.C. (1986). Chemosensory elements of courtship in normal and mutant, olfaction-deficient Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet. 16, 375–405.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gailey, D.A., Taylor, B.J., and Hall, J.C. (1991). Elements of the fruitless locus regulate development of the muscle of Lawrence, a male-specific structure in the abdomen of Drosophila melanogaster adults. Devel. 113, 879–890.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenspan, R.J., Finn, J.A., and Hall, J.C. ( 1980. Acetylcholinesterase mutants in Drosophila and their effects on the structure and function of the central nervous system. J. Comp. Neurol. 189, 741–774.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J.C. (1977). Portions of the central nervous system controlling reproductive behavior in male Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet. 7, 291–312.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J.C. (1978). Courtship among males due to a male-sterile mutation in Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet. 8, 125–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J.C. (1979). Control of male reproductive behavior by the central nervous system of Drosophila: Dissection of a courtship pathway by genetic mosaics. Genetics 92, 437–457.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J.C. (1994). The mating of a fly. Science 264, 1702–1714.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hartenstein, V. (1993). “Atlas of Drosophila Development.” Cold Spring Harbor, Plainview, N.Y. Heisenberg, M., Borst, A., Wagner, S., and Byers, D. (1985). Drosophila mushroom body mutants are deficient in olfactory learning. J. Neurogen. 2, 1–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch, H.V.B., and Tompkins, L. (1994). The flexible fly: experience-dependent development of complex behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Exp. Biol. 195, 1–18.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hotta, Y., and Benzer, S. (1972). Mapping of behavior in Drosophila mosaics. Nature 240, 527–535.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jallon, J.-M. (1984). A few chemical words exchanged by Drosophila during courtship and mating. Behay. Genet. 14, 441–478.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jallon, J.-M., and Hotta, Y. (1979). Genetic and behavioral studies of Drosophila female sex appeal. Behay. Genet. 9, 257–275.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jallon, J.-M., Antony, C., and Benamar, O. (1981). Un anti-aphrodisiac produit par males de Drosophila melanogaster et transfere aux femelles lors de la copulation. CR Acad. Sci. 292, 1147–1149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jallon, J.-M. Antony, T.P., Yong, C., and Maniar, S. (1986). Genetic factors controlling the production of aphrodisiac substances in Drosophila melanogaster. In “Advances in Vertebrate Reproduction” (M. Porchet, J.-C. Andries, and A. Dhainaut, eds.), Vol. 4, pp. 445–452. Elsevier, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jallon, J.-M., Lauge, G., Orssaud, L., and Antony, C. (1988). Female pheromones in Drosophila melanogaster are controlled by the doublesex locus. Genet. Res. 51, 17–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kubli, E. (1996). The Drosophila sex-peptide: a peptide pheromone involved in reproduction. In “Advances in Developmental Biochemistry” ( P. Wasserma, ed.), Vol. 4, pp. 99–128. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulkarni, S.J., Steinlauf, A.F., and Hall, J.C. (1988). The dissonance mutant of courtship song in Drosophila melanogaster: isolation, behavior, and cytogenetics. Genetics 118, 267–285.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lilly, M., and Carlson, J. (1990). smellblind: a gene reqired for Drosophila olfaction. Genetics 124, 293–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindsley, D.L., and Zimm, G.G. (1992). “The Genome of Drosophila melanogaster.” Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manning, A. (1967). The control of sexual receptivity in female Drosophila. Anim. Behay. 15, 239–250.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Markow, T.A., and Hanson, S.J. (1981). Multivariate analysis of Drosophila courtship. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 430–434.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McRobert, S.P., and Tompkins, L. (1983). Courtship of young males is ubiquitous in Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet. 13, 517–523.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McRobert, S.P., and Tompkins, L. (1985). The effect of transformer, doublesex, and intersex mutations on the sexual behavior of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 111, 89–96.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McRobert, S.P., Schnee, F.B., and Tompkins, L. (1995). Selection for increased female sexual receptivity in raised stocks of Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet., 25, 303–309.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ringo, J., Werczberger, R., and Segal, D. (1992). Male sexual signalling is defective in mutants of the apterous gene of Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet. 22, 469–487.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues, V., and Siddiqi, O. (1978). Genetic analysis of chemosensory pathway. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 87, 147–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salz, H.K., Maine, E.M., Keyes, L.N., Samuels, M.E., Cline, T.W., and Schedl, P. (1989). The Drosophila female-specific sex-determination gene. Sex-lethal, has stage, tissue-and sex-specific RNAs suggesting multiple modes of regulation. Genes Devel. 3, 708–719.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez, L., and Nothiger, R. (1982). Clonal analysis of Sex-lethal, a gene needed for female sexual development in Drosophila melanogaster. Wilhelm Rouxs Arch. 191, 211–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaner, A.M., Dixon, P.D., Graham, K.J., and Jackson, L.L. (1989). Components of the courtship-stimulating pheromone blend of young male Drosophila melanogaster: (Z)-13-tritriacontene and (Z)-11-tritriacontene. J. Insect Physiol. 35, 341–345.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schilcher, F. (1976). The role of auditory stimuli in the courtship of Drosophila melanogaster. Anim. Behay. 24, 18–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schilcher, F., and Hall, J.C. (1979). Neural topography of courtship song in sex mosaics of Drosophila melanogaster. J. Comp. Physiol. 129, 85–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, D. (1986). Sexual mimicry regulates the attractiveness of mated Drosophila melanogaster females. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 8429–8433.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, D., and Richmond, R.C. (1988). A genetic analysis of male-predominant pheromones in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 119, 639–646.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strausfeld, N.J. (1976). “Atlas of an Insect Brain.” Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sturtevant, A.H. (1915). Experiments on sex recognition and the problem of sexual selection in Drosophila. J. Anim. Behay. 5, 351–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, B.J. (1992). Differentiation of the male-specific muscle in Drosophila melanogaster does not require the sex-determining genes doublesex or intersex. Genetics 132, 179–191.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, B.J., Villella, A., Ryner, L.C., Baker, B.S., and Hall, J.C. (1994). Behavioral and neurobiological implications of sex-determining factors in Drosophila. Devel. Genet. 15, 275–296.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Technau, G.M. (1984). Fiber number in the mushroom bodies of adult Drosophila melanogaster depends on age, sex and experience. J. Neurogen. 1, 113–126.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L. (1984). Genetic analysis of sex appeal in Drosophila. Behay. Genet. 14, 411–440.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L. (1986). Genetic control of sexual behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. Trends Genet. 2, 14–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L. (1989). Homosexual courtship in Drosophila. In “Perspectives in Neural Systems and Behavior” ( T. J. Carew and D.B. Kelley, eds.), pp. 229–248. Liss, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L. (1990). Effects of the apterous 4 mutation on Drosophila melanogaster males’ courtship. J. Neurogen. 6, 221–227.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L., and Hall, J.C. (1981). Drosophila males produce a pheromone which inhibits courtship. Z. Naturforsch. 36, 694–696.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L., and Hall, J.C. (1983). Identification of brain sites controlling female receptivity in mosaics of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 103, 179–195.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L., and Hall, J.C. (1984). Sex pheromones enable Drosophila male to discriminate between conspecific males from different laboratory stocks. Anim. Behay. 32, 349–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L., and McRobert, S.P. (1989). Regulation of behavioral and pheromonal aspects of sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster by the Sex-lethal gene. Genetics 123, 535–541.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L., and McRobert, S.P. (1995). Behavioral and pheromonal phenotypes associated with expression of loss-of-function mutations in the Sex-lethal gene of Drosophila melanogaster. J. Neurogen. 9, 219–226.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L., Hall, J.C., and Hall, L.M. (1980). Courtship-stimulating volatile compounds from normal and mutant Drosophila. J. Insect Physiol. 26, 689–697.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tompkins, L., Gross, A.C., Hall, J.C., Gailey, D.A., and Siegel, R.W. (1982). The role of female movement in the sexual behavior of Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet. 12, 295–307.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Truman, J.W. (1990). Metamorphosis of the central nervous system in Drosophila. J. Neurobiol. 21, 1072–1084.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Welbergen, P., Spruijt, B.M., and Dijken. F.R. (1992). Mating speed and the interplay between female and male courtship responses in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). J. Insect Behay. 5, 229–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, D.A., Kulkarni, S.J., Gailey, D.A., and Hall, J.C. (1989). Spectral analysis of courtship songs in behavioral mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. Behay. Genet. 19, 503–528.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wicker, C., and Jallon, J.-M. (1995). Hormonal control of sex pheromone biosynthesis in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Insect Physiol. 41, 65–70.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto, D., Sano, Y., Ueda, R., Togashi, S., Tsurumura, S., and Sato, K. (1990). Newly isolated mutants of Drosophila melanogaster defective in mating behavior. J. Neurogen. 7, 152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, S.-D., and Odenwald, W.F. (1995). Misexpression of the white gene triggers male-male courtship in Drosophila. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 92, 5525–5529.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19122, USA

    Laurie Tompkins

Authors
  1. Laurie Tompkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, 700 073, Calcutta, India

    R. N. Chatterjee

  2. Cenrtro Dr Investigaciones Biologicas (CSIC), Velázquez 144, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Lucas Sánchez

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Tompkins, L. (1998). The Development of Male- and Female-Specific Sexual Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster . In: Chatterjee, R.N., Sánchez, L. (eds) Genome Analysis in Eukaryotes. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-11829-0_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-11829-0_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-11831-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-11829-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation