Winter is coming: According to a new study published in the journal Behavioral Ecology, researchers at the University of Exeter have found that female insects have more sexual partners in colder climates, but prefer monogamous relationships when it is hotter.
As environmental temperature does have some influence, sexual behavior remains mostly determined by one’s genes. Who says summer lovin’ is only for Grease?
“This is a textbook example of the role of genes versus environment. Sexual behavior is really hardwired into females. It makes sense biologically for females to have a number of partners as they will produce more offspring that are more genetically diverse and survive better,” said Dr. Michelle Taylor, lead researcher on the study.
“What is interesting, and what needs further research, is the question of why some females stay with one partner. We don’t know what maintains monogamy.”
The birds and the bees…or just fruit flies
While some birds, reptiles, and fish are also known for their monogamous vs. promiscuous lifestyles, researchers studied the sexual behaviors of fruit flies this time. By collecting fruit flies from warmer climates like Arizona and colder climates like Montana, they preserved “snapshots” of the genes available in the population.
Forty generations of sexual behavior later, the inbred flies were then examined to see how many male partners each inbred female would accept when their environment became warmer or cooler than normal.
Through exposing these inbred females to varying environments, researchers were able to study the influences of genes vs. environment on female fly mating habits. The results showed that more females accepted more partners in colder conditions, while more remained monogamous when it became hot.
Genes are still most important
However, that’s not all: Some females, despite what climate they were in, were always more likely to have more partners, showing that while temperature can make an impact, genes remain the most important factor in flies’ behaviors and sexual partners.
“These results are an important step towards understanding how genes and environment contribute towards behavior and ultimately how behavior affects the success or failure of natural populations,” said Taylor.
“Mating with many different males can change the genetic make-up of a population because it increases the number of combinations of genes represented in each generation. Evolutionarily speaking, this could be one reason why some populations are able to adapt to changing environments while others go extinct.”
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Feature Image: Thinkstock
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