Fabre, Caroline C. G. - University of Cambridge

研究领域

Courtship in Drosophila melanogaster consists of a series of stereotyped actions by the male to first assess the female's suitability and then elicit her acceptance of copulation, which is signaled by her ceasing to walk. The male and female communicate via vision, air-borne sounds and by pheromones, but it remained unclear what cues trigger female immobility. I described a further component of Drosophila courtship behaviour that has, surprisingly, been overlooked. I showed by video recordings and laser vibrometry that the abdomen of the male vibrates rhythmically ("quivers") to generate substrate-borne vibrations that have a repetition rate of about 6 pulses per second. I obtained evidence that the female stops walking and becomes receptive mainly because she senses these vibrations and not, as had previously been suggested, as a response to the air-borne song produced when the male extends and flutters one wing. The neural circuits expressing the sex determination genes fruitless and doublesex are required for the quivering behaviour. Moreover, these abdominal quivers and associated vibrations, as well as their presumed effect on female receptivity, are conserved in other Drosophila species. Substrate-borne vibrations are an ancient form of communication that is widespread in invertebrates and vertebrates. We are now investigating the neuromuscular circuitry responsible for the generation of these substrate-borne signals and the sensory systems needed for their reception

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Hernández, M.V. & Fabre, C.C. The Elaborate Postural Display of Courting Drosophila persimilis Flies Produces Substrate-Borne Vibratory Signals. J Insect Behav 2016, doi:10.1007/s10905-016-9579-8. Medina I., Casal J., Fabre C.C. Do circadian genes and ambient temperature affect substrate-borne signaling during Drosophila courtship? Biology Open 2015, 4: 1549-1557. Fabre C.C., Hedwig B., Conduit G., Lawrence P.A., Goodwin S.G., Casal J. Substrate-borne vibratory communication during courtship in Drosophila melanogaster. Current Biology 2012, 22 (22): 2180-2185. Krzemien J., Fabre C.C., Casal J., Lawrence P.A. The muscle pattern of the Drosophila abdomen depends on a subdivision of the anterior compartment of each segment. Development 2012, 139(1): 75-83. Fabre C.C., Casal J., Lawrence P.A. Mechanosensilla in the adult abdomen of Drosophila: engrailed and slit help to corral the peripheral sensory axons into segmental bundles. Development 2010, 137(17): 2885-94. Fabre C.C., Casal J., Lawrence P.A. The abdomen of Drosophila: does planar cell polarity orient the neurons of mechanosensory bristles? Neural Development 2008, 3:12.