ABSTRACT
The different reproductive strategies of males and females underlie differences in behavior that may also lead to differences in nutrient use between the two sexes. We studied sex differences in the utilization of two essential amino acids (EAAs) and one non-essential amino acid (NEAA) by the Carolina sphinx moth (Manduca sexta). On day one post-eclosion from the pupae, adult male moths oxidized greater amounts of larva-derived AAs than females, and more nectar-derived AAs after feeding. After 4 days of starvation, the opposite pattern was observed: adult females oxidized more larva-derived AAs than males. Adult males allocated comparatively small amounts of nectar-derived AAs to their first spermatophore, but this allocation increased substantially in the second and third spermatophores. Males allocated significantly more adult-derived AAs to their flight muscle than females. These outcomes indicate that adult male and female moths employ different strategies for allocation and oxidation of dietary AAs.
FOOTNOTES
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing or financial interests.
Author contributions
Conceptualization: E.L., M.D.M., G.D.; Methodology: E.L., M.D.M., G.D.; Validation: E.L.; Formal analysis: E.L., G.D.; Resources: G.D.; Writing - original draft: E.L., M.D.M., G.D.; Writing - review & editing: E.L., M.D.M., G.D.; Visualization: E.L., G.D.; Supervision: G.D.; Funding acquisition: G.D.
Funding
This study was supported by National Science Foundation USA, grant IOS-1053318 to G.D.
Supplementary information
Supplementary information available online at http://jeb.biologists.org/lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.154757.supplemental
- Received January 2, 2017.
- Accepted May 8, 2017.
- © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd
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