A short guide to insect oviposition: when, where and how to lay an egg

Abstract

Egg-laying behavior is one of the most important aspects of female behavior, and has a profound impact on the fitness of a species. As such, it is controlled by several layers of regulation. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of insect neural circuits that control when, where and how to lay an egg. We also outline outstanding open questions about the control of egg-laying decisions, and speculate on the possible neural underpinnings that can drive the diversification of oviposition behaviors through evolution.

Keywords:

• Insect oviposition
• neuronal circuits
• evolution of behavior

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

B. P. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement n° 615789. Scientific exchanges between the teams of B. P. and N. G. were financially supported by the Centre de Coopération Universitaire Franco-Bavarois. Work on oviposition in N. G.'s lab is supported by the LudwigMaximilians University of Munich.