Evolutionary genetics of reproductive behavior in Drosophila: connecting the dots

Abstract

Species of the genus Drosophila exhibit enormous variation in all of their reproductive behaviors: resource use and specialization, courtship signaling, sperm utilization, and female remating. The genetic bases of this variability and its evolution are poorly understood. At the same time, Drosophila comparative genomics now has developed to a point at which approaches previously only possible with D. melanogaster can be exploited to address these questions. We have taken advantage of the known phylogenetic relationships of this group of flies not only to place these behaviors in an evolutionary framework, but to provide a roadmap for future genetic studies.