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1991 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Mechanism of mating termination in the male cricket

Research Project

Project/Area Number 02640557
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Research Field 動物発生・生理学
Research InstitutionOkayama University

Principal Investigator

SAKAI Masaki  Okayama Univ. Assoc. Prof., 理学部, 助教授 (30027502)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) YAMAGUCHI Tsuneo  Okayama Univ. Prof., 理学部, 教授 (60000816)
Project Period (FY) 1990 – 1991
KeywordsInsect / Cricket / Mating behavior / Serotonin / Mating cycle / Reproductive behavior / Behavioral switching / Sexual refractoriness
Research Abstract

(1)Mating in the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus proceeds as a result of a stimulus-response chain. The final act, spermatophore extrusion, is elicited by mechanical stimulation of small sensilla in the cavity enclosed by the epiphallus. In normal copulation, stimulation for this seems to be made by insertion of the female's copulatory papilla into the cavity. To induce spermatophore extrusion efficiently, the bodily tonus had to be heightend, eliciting male copulatory actions by giving key stimuli to the body surface in a sexually excited state
(2)Spontaneous spike activity of ascending neurons was recorded from the ventral nerve cord before and after artificially induced spermatohore extrusion. After spermatophore extrusion, most spikes stopped discharging. In 10 min the spike activity began to recover but it was much less than before spermatophore extrusion. It suggests that some neurons in the terminal abdominal ganglion signals the end of mating to the brain by silence.
(3)Effects of biogenic amines were examined on the duration of sexually inactive period defined as a period between spermatophore protrusion and calling song initiation. Drugs were injected into the body cavity after spermatophore protrusion, and some males were left intact to wait for calling song initiation and others were decapitated to see when copulation response was ecited. Serotonin delayed initiation of a calling song by about 5 min. On the other hand, 5-hydroxitriphtophan, UV-irradiated serotonin and 5-7 dihydroxitriptamine-treatment significantly advanced both calling song initiation in intact and copulation response in decapitated males. These suggest that serotonin may underlie male's sexual refractoriness.

  • Research Products

    (7 results)

All Other

All Publications (7 results)

  • [Publications] Masaki Sakai et al.: "Copulation sequence and mating termination in the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus DeGeer" J.Insect Physiology. 37-8. 599-614 (1991)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Masaki Sakai et al.: "Postembryonic development of mating behavior in the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus" J.Comparative Physiology. 166A. 775-784 (1990)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Masaki Sakai et al.: "Mating termination in the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus" Symposia Biologica Hungarica. (1991)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Masaki Sakai: "Mating termination in the male cricket(In Neuroethology ed.K.Kubota,)" Nakanishi Shoten, (1992)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Publications] Masaki Sakai et al: "Copulation sequence and mating termination in the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus DeGeer." J Instect Physiology. 37-8. 599-614 (1991)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Masaki Sakai et al: "Postembryonic development of mating behavior in the male cricket Gryllus bimaculatus DeGeer" J Comp Physiology. 166A. 775-784 (1990)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Publications] Masaki Sakai and Yasuo Taoda: "Mating termination in the male cricket" Symp Biol Hungarica. (1992)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 1993-03-16  

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