An investigation of the Universitat de València in the vinegar fly shows that sexual frustration can...

An investigation of the Universitat de València in the vinegar fly shows that sexual frustration can... https://noticiasdelaciencia.com/upload/images/12_2018/209_drosophila-melanogaster.jpg?42

An investigation of the Universitat de València in the vinegar fly shows that sexual frustration can accelerate the evolution





Members of the Cavanilles Institute of the Universitat de València (Spain) have shown that the physiological costs of sexual frustration can accelerate evolution. In a work recently published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Roberto García-Roa, Manuel Serra and Pau Carazo have developed a mathematical model that formally demonstrates this idea, which they have subsequently tested experimentally in the fly of the vinegar Drosophila melanogaster.

 

This discovery is an important step to understand what factors modulate sexual selection, an important evolutionary motor and a determining factor to understand the viability and adaptability of natural populations.

 

The study shows that in the fly of the vinegar (Drosophila melanogaster) the sexual frustration accelerates the reproductive aging. When a male of this species detects the presence of a female, physiological mechanisms are put in place that prepare it to compete against other males and reproduce. However, if a male who constantly perceives the presence of reproductive females fails to mate frequently - for example, because others prevent it - these frustrated expectations have negative collateral consequences, since these males age much faster and their reproductive success is is dramatically reduced, around 25%.

 

"On a human scale, this would mean a reduction of about 8 years in our lives and have one less descendant in four," says Roberto García-Roa, first author and principal responsible for the study. "These costs will fundamentally affect the worst males in a population, those that already have more difficulties in mating, and therefore will make evolution more strongly favor higher quality males. In short, what this implies is that sexual selection will intensify since it will accelerate the evolution of any character that allows males to be better competitors ".

 



 

(Photo: U. València)

 

Although at the moment it has been studied in few species, the physiological mechanisms of this type of aging seem very conserved, which suggests that it could be a widespread phenomenon among animals.

 

A fundamental issue in evolutionary biology is to determine the intensity of evolution by Darwinian selection. "It is crucial to explain how populations achieve an adjustment between their genes and environmental conditions and how genetic divergence occurs between populations, the initial step for the emergence of new species," says Professor Manuel Serra, co-author of the study and professor. of the Department of Microbiology and Ecology.

 

"Thanks to Darwin, today we understand that the selection of a character depends on the advantage it gives its bearer, in terms of survival and reproduction, in relation to its competitors. In species with sexual reproduction, this advantage lies largely in preferential access to reproduction, a process called sexual selection, "says Serra. In addition, he points out that "this is how the evolution of extravagant characters in males that are attractive to females or that allow males to fight and beat others is explained. The antlers of the deer or the colorful coloration of the males in many birds are paradigmatic examples of these characters ".

 

"In addition to being one of the main drivers of evolution, sexual selection can have very positive consequences for populations, increasing their viability and their ability to adapt to a changing environment," says Pau Carazo, director of the work. Understanding what factors modulate the force with which sexual selection operates is essential to answer fundamental questions in evolutionary biology, such as why sexes age at different speeds or what advantages sexual reproduction has over asexual reproduction. (Source: U. València)
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