Female oviposition decisions are influenced by the microbial environment

Fowler, Emily K., Friend, Lucy A., Churchill, Emily R., Yu, Douglas W., Archetti, Marco, Bourke, Andrew F. G., Bretman, Amanda and Chapman, Tracey (2025) Female oviposition decisions are influenced by the microbial environment. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. ISSN 1010-061X

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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.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data and code are available through Dryad (doi:10.5061/dryad.2rbnzs7xk). Funding information: This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council [NE/T007133/1].
Uncontrolled Keywords:	drosophila melanogaster,microbes,antimicrobial,preservatives,egg clustering,public goods
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment
Related URLs:	https://academic.oup.com/jeb/advance-art...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	29 Jan 2025 13:25
Last Modified:	30 Jan 2025 01:42
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98330
DOI:

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