Experience Mediated Reduction in Courtship of Drosophila melanogaster in Large and Small Chambers

• Published in: Journal of comparative psychology (1983) 1987-03, Vol.101 (1), p.90-93
• Main Authors: Zawistowski, Stephen, Richmond, Rollin C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal; Animal Courtship Behavior; Animal Environments; Animal ethology; Animal Mating Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Drosophila; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; Male Animals; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
• ISSN: 0735-7036; 1939-2087
• DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.101.1.90

Drosophila melanogaster males show reduced courtship of virgin females and immature males after experience with either mated females or immature males. However, males experienced with mated females do not show a mating disadvantage, despite the expected reduction in courtship ( Zawistowski & Richmond, 1985 ). This report presents experiments and data concerning D. melanogaster courtships and experience mediated courtship reductions in vials and small chambers. Males observed in small chambers displayed significantly higher levels of courtship toward virgin females, mated females, and immature males when compared with subjects observed in vials, with or without food. Males trained in vials with mated females do not subsequently show reduced levels of courtship in either small chambers or vials. It is suggested that the high level of courtship observed in the small chambers is not required to stimulate a female to mate because males mate more successfully in the vials, even though they court less.