Editorial: Novel Insights Into Female Post-Mating Physiology in Insects

Abstract

Mating deeply affects female physiology and behavior. The major factors responsible for such post-mating changes that were identified so far comprise the act of mating itself, the ejaculate transferred by the male during copulation, and the female microbiome. The genes regulating post-mating responses have been only partially characterized, and mostly in model organisms. In most insects, the molecules transferred in the male ejaculate are still completely unknown, as are the biosynthetic gene pathways responsible for their production and regulation. Recently, technological advances in the field of omics, three-dimensional analyses of the morphology of the female reproductive tract during and after mating, and high resolution microscopy allowed the tuning of more comprehensive strategies to study insect reproductive physiology, pointing to the establishment of a holistic approach to trace the dynamic processes following mating.