86 - Elevated rearing temperature impacts male ability to induce the female post-mating response in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti.

The fertility of a mating pair requires numerous behavioral and molecular interactions between males and females. During mating, males transfer seminal fluid to the female reproductive tract—a complex mixture of sperm, seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) and other small molecules. In numerous taxa, SFP receipt initiates a series physiological and behavioral changes in females that facilitate the production of progeny, changes collectively referred to as the female post-mating response (PMR). The insect female PMR typically involves changes in gene expression, increased rates of oviposition and ovulation, and reduced sexual receptivity to additional mating. Although SFPs induce female PMRs in most species, environmental factors can alter the strength of the female PMR and subsequent female fertility. In several insect species, the temperature during development can affect fertility in a male- and female-specific manner. Here, we examined the impact of increased rearing temperatures on male ability to elicit the female PMR in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. We reared wild-type males, and males infected with Wolbachia, at 27, 32, and 35 ^oC, and assessed their ability to induce the female PMR. Specifically, we examined female fecundity, hatch percentage, and receptivity to an additional mating upon insemination by males reared at elevated temperatures compared to controls (reared at 27 ^oC). Further, we examined sperm transfer and female sperm storage upon insemination by males reared at each temperature and assessed female sperm-use patterns upon re-insemination by a competitor male. We found that elevated rearing temperature alters the strength of some female PMRs, while having a minimal effect on others. Our results highlight the differing effects of rearing temperature on male ability to induce the female PMR in this mosquito vector of disease.