Efeitos da criação em laboratório no comportamento sexual da mosca-das-frutas Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

The fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is an agricultural pest of great economic relevance, responsible for considerable damage to global and Brazilian orcharding. This species is widely colonized under artificial conditions in research laboratories and biofactories that implement population control techniques. However, rearing under artificial conditions for many generations can cause deleterious changes in the behavioral traits of lab-reared fruit flies compared to their wild conspecifics. In this work, to investigate the influence of laboratory-rearing on the sexual behavior of males of the species C. capitata, we carried out a comparison between the behavioral performance of lab-reared and wild flies. Our methodology consisted of laboratory tests to obtain the temporal pattern of pheromone emission; video recording of courtship behavior to analyze the courtship size and the parameters referent to sequence, frequency, and duration of behavioral units; and mate-choice tests to analyze mating success, latency, and copula duration. Our results point to (1) similarities in the pattern of pheromone emission; (2) lower frequency of behaviors associated with body movements or positions (Mobile, Flying, and Stationary) and cleaning (Grooming) in lab-reared males; (3) shorter courtship size in lab-reared males; (4) greater mating success in lab-reared males and (5) similarities between the courtship behavioral routines most likely to contribute to copulation. Considering the differences we found between populations, our results indicate that the effects of laboratory-rearing predominated in the quantitative scope of behavior. Qualitatively, males from the lab-reared strain did not lose any behaviors displayed by wild males, nor did they perform them differently. These findings are relevant to behavioral ecology and applied ecology since behavior-based population control techniques, such as the Sterile Insect Technique, rely heavily on the interaction of individuals raised in artificial conditions with wild individuals in the field.