Fowler, E.K., Friend, L.A., Churchill, E.R. et al. (5 more authors) (2025) Female oviposition decisions are influenced by the microbial environment. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. voaf004. ISSN 1010-061X
Abstract
In ovipositing animals, egg placement decisions can be key determinants of offspring survival. One oviposition strategy reported across taxa is laying eggs in clusters. In some species, mothers provision eggs with diffusible defence compounds, such as antimicrobials, raising the possibility of public good benefits arising from egg clustering. Here we report that Drosophila melanogaster females frequently lay eggs in mixed maternity clusters. We tested two hypotheses for potential drivers of this oviposition behaviour: (i) the microbial environment affects fecundity and egg placement in groups of females; (ii) eggs exhibit antimicrobial activity. The results partially supported the first hypothesis. Females reduced egg laying, but did not alter egg clustering, on non-sterile substrates that had been naturally colonised with microbes from the environment. However, oviposition remained unaffected when the substrate community consisted of commensal (fly-associated) microbes. The second hypothesis was not supported. There was no evidence of antimicrobial activity, either in whole eggs or in soluble egg surface material. In conclusion, while we found no behavioural or physiological evidence that egg clustering decisions are shaped by the opportunity to share antimicrobials, females are sensitive to their microbial environment and can adjust egg laying rates accordingly.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Evolutionary Biology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Drosophila melanogaster; microbes; antimicrobial; preservatives; egg clustering; public goods |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 24 Feb 2025 16:31 |
Last Modified: | 24 Feb 2025 16:31 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/jeb/voaf004 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:223640 |