Multivariate analysis of Drosophila courtship

Abstract

Courtship records of 15 pairs of Drosophila melanogaster were analyzed for temporal stationarity of courtship behaviors, behavioral diversity, behavioral intercorrelations, sequential properties, and information transmission for both sexes. Durations of one male behavior, "orient-back," and two female behaviors, "preen" and "stand still," were found to change from the first to the second half of courtship. Male diversity was greater than female diversity, and both were stationary over time. Correlation analyses failed to single out any particular male or female behaviors as being influential in controlling courtship duration. Male behavior sequences formed several multibehavior loops; female behavior consisted of only a few terminal two-tuple transitions. Transmission analysis carried out on the joint male/female transition matrix showed a higher transmission rate from males to females (12%) than from females to males (7%). Potential applications of this multivariate analysis to investigations of neurobiological and evolutionary aspects of Drosophila courtship behavior are proposed.