Some Aspects of the Reproductive Biology of Drosophila: Sperm Transfer, Sperm Storage, and Sperm Utilization

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter presents that from the beginning of the development of sperm in the testis of the male up to and including the ultimate recovery of that sperm in the form of progeny, variability is the only consistent feature in all aspects of the reproductive biology of drosophila. This variability exists at virtually all levels of the reproductive systems in both the male and the female and, not surprisingly, is a reflection of a multitude of complex and, seemingly, hopelessly intertwined interactions between the genetic constitution of the organism and its particular environment. This chapter discusses that, on the basis of the observations, one can say with some certainty that the ultimate recovery of progeny in drosophila probably represents the aggregation of a great number of largely uncontrollable physiological events. The chapter also reviews that that in designing future experiments in drosophila, those whose interpretation depends on the control of this variability in reproduction.