A new study has found that female flies with superior genetic composition may be restricted of their abilities due to too much sexual attention from males. According to one author of the study, this increased attention may specifically hamper the females' ability to cope when exposed to a new environment.
Researchers from Australia and Canada conducted the study by putting varied groups of flies in a new laboratory environment for 13 generations. They established control over the number of mates that each male and female fly could mate with. Through this manipulative intervention, the possible harassment events may be controlled. The researchers also sequenced the genomes of the subjects.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, found that after sequencing, the number of female genes that became prominent when there was lack of harassment declined when the researchers subjected the female flies to harassment from their male counterparts. This then hampered the females in adapting to a new environment.
The female flies that have exceptional abilities to lay eggs due to their genes were influenced by their male suitors, which would not leave them alone. Based on behavioral observations, the researchers discovered that male flies were more attracted to healthy and fit females in terms of their egg-laying capabilities.
However, because of this same attention, the females are not able to maximize their full potential. According to the researchers, adaptive modifications may not contribute to the effectiveness of coping if the subjects were exposed to a form of sexual conflict.
"We found that sexually attractive females were overwhelmed by male suitors," said Stephen Chenoweth, associate professor from the University of Queensland's School of Biological Sciences. "Female fruit flies with superior genes that allow them to lay more eggs were so attractive to male suitors they spent most of the time fending off male suitors rather than actually laying eggs. The end result was that these supposedly 'superior' genes could not be passed on to the next generation."
The research team is aware that some type of conflict exists between males and females. However, they did not realize the possibility that these harmful interactions were due to genetic etiologies or that some genes hinder the ability of some species to cope effectively in a new environment.
In the future, Chenoweth hopes, the team can investigate and identify the unique kinds of gene functions associated with their findings, and also comprehend the larger effects of this type of male-female relationship and its importance to the evolution of other species.
Photo: John Tann | Flickr
