The function and processing of auditory information in the courtship behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

The function and processing of auditory information in the courtship behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster was investigated using combination of mutant genes which cause stepwise reduction in the size of the arista. Reduction of the effective surface area of the arista lowers female sexual receptivity and the courtship success of males. Since female receptivity is known to be dependent upon accurate perception of the characteristics of male wing vibration, the results confirm that the aristae are essential for adequate auditory perception. The female, as elsewhere suggested, may compare the sound perceived to a neural representation of the parameters of the species code, which is genetically determined, and reject or accept the male depending on the outcome of the comparison. Quantitative analysis of male courtship behaviour suggests that the sound which mutant males produce is distorted as a result of imperfect auditory feedback. It is suggested that veridical feedback of the efferent signal, which may be compared to a neural representation in the same way as in the female, could be a necessary condition for production of an accurate species specific wing vibration code.