Mating experience modifies locomotor performance and promotes episodic motor activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Sexual behavior is a routine among animal species. Sexual experience has several behavioral consequences in insects, but its physiological basis is less well-understood. The episodic motor activity with a periodicity around 19 s was unintentionally observed in the wildtype Canton-S flies and was greatly reduced in the white-eyed mutant w(1118) flies. Episodic motor activity co-exists with several consistent locomotor performances in Canton-S flies whereas reduced episodic motor activity is accompanied by neural or behavioral abnormalities in w(1118) flies. The improvements of both episodic motor activity and locomotor performance are co-inducible by a pulsed light illumination in w(1118). Here we show that mating experience of w(1118 )males promoted fast and consistent locomotor activities and increased the power of episodic motor activities. Compared with virgin males, mated ones showed significant increases of boundary preference, travel distance over 60 s, and increased path increments per 0.2 s. In contrast, mated males of Canton-S showed decreased boundary preference, increased travel distance over 60 s, and increased path increments per 0.2 s. Additionally, mated males of w(1118 )displayed increased power amplitude of periodic motor activities at 0.03-0.1 Hz. These data indicated that mating experience promoted fast and consistent locomotion and improved episodic motor activities in w(1118) male flies.

Automated summary

This study found that mating experience in male fruit flies promoted fast and consistent locomotor activities and increased the power of episodic motor activities.