How choosy should you be?
Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - 11:52
in Biology & Nature
When animals choose their mates, how discriminate they are varies a great deal. For some male Mormon crickets, any female will do; in contrast, blue peahens rarely fall for the first cock courting them. Across nature, all kinds of situations seem to occur (albeit with different frequencies): indiscriminate males and females, only choosy females, only choosy males, very choosy everybody, as well as any situation in between. In a recent study, researchers conclude that how choosy animals are is something that emerges predictably from the biology of each species and sex. This finding matters because choosiness is a key factor shaping the biodiversity of species. This, in turn, has implications for conservation.