Direct and trans-generational effects of male and female gut microbiota in Drosophila melanogaster.

Juliano Morimoto,Stephen J Simpson,Fleur Ponton

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0966

Juliano Morimoto, Stephen J Simpson + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0966

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Abstract

There is increasing evidence of the far-reaching effects of gut bacteria on physiological and behavioural traits, yet the fitness-related consequences of changes in the gut bacteria composition of sexually interacting individuals remain unknown. To address this question, we manipulated the gut microbiota of fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, by monoinfecting flies with either Acetobacter pomorum (AP) or Lactobacillus plantarum (LP). Re-inoculated individuals were paired in all treatment combinations. LP-infected males had longer mating duration and induced higher short-term offspring production in females compared with AP-infected males. Furthermore, females of either re-inoculation state mated with AP-infected males were more likely to have zero offspring after mating, suggesting a negative effect of AP on male fertility. Finally, we found that the effects of male and female gut bacteria interacted to modulate their daughters', but not sons' body mass, revealing a new trans-generational effect of parental gut microbiota. In conclusion, this study shows direct and trans-generational effects of the gut microbiota on mating and reproduction.

Highlights

In nature, virtually all surfaces and cavities of an animal’s body are inhabited by microorganisms, many of which are in some way linked to the animal’s physiology and behaviour
Germ-free flies of both sexes were re-inoculated with either Acetobacter pomorum (AP) or Lactobacillus plantarum (LP)
We tested whether homotypic and heterotypic mating could affect individuals’ reproductive success, whether this effect was a result of the interaction between the gut microbiota of both sexes or if there was a sex-specific effect of gut microbiota

Summary

Introduction

Virtually all surfaces and cavities of an animal’s body are inhabited by microorganisms, many of which are in some way linked to the animal’s physiology and behaviour. The reproductive consequences of the gut bacteria-induced mate choice remain & 2017 The Authors.

Results

Conclusion