OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION INTERNAL REPRODUCTION REPRODUCTION STRATEGIES COURTSHIP BEHAVIOUR SUBJECT EXAMPLE : CRICKET CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION: REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN INSECTS

Most insects have a high reproductive rate Evolve faster & adjust to environmental changes more rapidly Productive organs of insects are similar in structure and function to those of vertebrates A male's testes produce sperm and a female's ovaries produce eggs (ova). Most insect species reproduce sexually

INTERNAL REPRODUCTION SYSTEM

MALE REPRODUCTION
SYSTEM FEMALE REPRODUCTION

SYSTEM

MALE REPRODUCTION
SYSTEM

INTERNAL ORGANS
Reproductive organ of male insect

 Testis Usually located near the back of the abdomen Each testis is subdivided into functional units (follicles) where sperm are actually produced
Vas deferens a tube with a fairly thick bounding epithelium, a basement membrane and a layer of circular muscle outside it The vasa deferentia run backwards to lead into the distal end of the ejaculatory duct and often they are dilated to form the seminal vesicles

Accessory glands The male accessory glands open into the vasa deferentia or the distal end of the ejaculatory duct The number of accessory glands varies considerably

 Ejaculatory duct Leads to the aedeagus

Aedeagus The insect intromittent organ (penis). It is a continuation of the ejaculatory duct, and is inserted into the female during mating. Sperm and accessory gland materials move through the aedeagus into the bursa copulatrix of the female.

SPERMATOGENESIS
o The spermatogonia probably obtain nutriment from large apical cell with which they have cytoplasmic connection.

MATURE SPERMATOZOA

 Acrosome

concerned with attachment of the sperm to the egg and possibly also with the lysis of the egg membrance, thus permitting sperm entry present immediately behind the nucleus and from it arises the axial filament, which runs the length of the tail of the sperm a number of very fine microtubules which in the sperm are arranged in a ring of nine doublets,with arms on one of the subfibres, surrounding two central tubules

Centriole

Axial filament

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYTEM

Have high reproductive rate
Life of an adult insect is primarily geared for reproduction Evolve faster and adjust to enviromental change more rapidly

FUNCTIONS
Egg Production Egg Fertilization Sperm Storage Egg Placement Oviposition

Female Structures
Gonads Lateral oviducts Median oviduct Genital chamber Spermathecal structures Accessory glands

Ovary Types
Panoistic: Oocyte + Follicle Cells Apterygota, Paleoptera, most Orthopteroid,

Thysanoptera and Siphonaptera

Meroistic: Oocyte + Trophocytes (nurse cells) Polytrophic: Trophocytes accompany oocyte into vitellarium Examples: Lice, Dermaptera, Psocoptera and most Endopterygotes Telotrophic: Trophocytes remain in germarium

connection to oocyte via nutritive cord

Examples: Most Hemipteroid, Coleoptera

Oogenesis & Ovulation

Oogenesis occurs in ovariole
May be continuous process May occur once in the life cycle
oogonia (2N)

Germarium

mitosis

1 oocyte (2N) meiosis

Mature oocyte exits ovariole - ovulation Oocyte passes through oviducts Fertilization in genital chamber

Vitellarium

2 oocyte (1N) oocyte & follicle cells

Calyx

Oviposition
Gonophore posotion variable May be surrounded by ovipositor or other modification Oviposition behaviour variable Phasmids simply drop egg Most place eggs carefully Often protected site or in/on food source Some species guard eggs & larvae Earwigs, some hemipterans and social insects

Sex Determination
Heterogamy 2 types of gametes

Haplodiploidy Males produced from unfertilized eggs

Hormone Functions
The most common hormone is known as juvenile hormone .

It regulates development, reproduction, diapause and polyphenisms. Absence of juvenile hormone results in formation of adult.

Hormone Functions
Ovary Development Oogenesis, follicle development

Synthesis & uptake of yolk proteins

Reproductive Strategies
TO LAY EGGS OR NOT TO

LAY EGGS WHO REPRODUCES???

TO LAY EGGS OR NOT TO LAY EGGS

OVIPARITY OVOVIVIPARITY VIVIPARITY

Oviparity
Egg laid shortly after fertilization No retention No nutrients to embryo after fertilization

Ovoviviparity
Eggs retained until embryogenesis complete Embryo fed by egg reserves Female deposits nymph/larva Example: many Aphids

Viviparity
Eggs retained and Embryo fed by mother Immatures may complete development before deposition Examples: Strepsipterans, Tsetse fly

STRATEGIES II: WHO REPRODUCES???

Parthenogenesis
Development without fertilization (Asexual) Unfertilized eggs produce:
Males (arrhenotoky) in Hymenoptera Females (thelytoky) Both (amphitoky) in aphids, some wasps

Polyembryony

Polyembryony
Found in some endoparasitic groups only Single egg results in 2 to several thousand larvae Some larvae may be defender morphs
Hatch more quickly Eliminate rival parasites Fail to pupate & they die

Remaining larvae become reproductive morphs that complete development and reproduce to carry on the species

Courtship Behaviors
Serenades: Courtship songs
Sound as an attractant in cicadas, crickets and grasshoppers, is produced by stridulation (one part of the body being rubbed or scraped against another). Male deathwatch beetles bang their heads against the sides of their tunnels to signal a mate. In midges and mosquitoes the high frequency of the female wing beats produces a sound that can be detected by males.

Scent or pheromones
Pheromones are important as insect sex attractants and as regulators of the social organization of social insects; e.g., bees. The sex attractant of the female silk moth (Bombyx mori) is called bombykol

Colour
Most insects have vision that is sensitive to ultraviolet light, which man and the other vertebrates cannot normally perceive. Butterflies may appear to have identical wing colour patterns under normal light, but, when viewed under ultraviolet light, the patterns differ drastically.

Light.
Light as an attractant is used most famously by the glow worm - actually a beetle

Dances and Foreplay:

Some male insects performs elaborate dances for their chosen mates. Certain male flies perform aerial dances around a female to attract her attention and win the right to mate with her. Some female insects like to be cuddled and caressed to get in the mood.

Nuptial Gifts:
Gift giving is another clever strategy employed by some male insects in their pursuit of a mate. Before seeking a partner, hangingfly males hunt and capture arthropod prey. They then lure a female closer using a chemical signal, and offer her the food gift. She examines the prey, and if she finds the meal to her liking, they mate. If the gift is insufficient, she refuses his advance.

SUBJECT EXAMPLE: CRICKET

Only male crickets stridulate or sing. Crickets will stop vocalizing when approached The frequency of the chirping varies according to temperature. The females listen to the chirping of the males and pick the best "singer". A cricket song is distinct for each species, and indeed, the discriminating field biologist can tell how many species of crickets there are in an area simply by listening.

 Crickets make several different chirps. The loud monotonous one we hear outside in the evening serves to attract a female. Another is made when a male knows a female is near and is softer and quicker A cricket's ears are just below the "knees" of its front legs. They consist of openings in the exoskeleton that lead into chambers inside the leg. By facing one way or the other, the cricket can tell which direction a sound is coming from.

CONCLUSION
Insects plays an important role in maintaining biodiversity in our environment. Like humans, they too contribute a lot to the ecosystem. As forestry students, we should be able to indentify and know insects importance to the environment.

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