Whether
it’s a partners new friend or a colleagues promotion at work, we’ve all
been affected by the green eyed monster that is jealousy at some point,
but did you know that jealousy has an evolutionary value?
Male
stick insects are among the most tireless of lovers. The tiny male
which is only half the size of its female counterpart clings on to its
partner for up to ten weeks. This continuous c
opulation prevents any other male from mating with this female in a bid to successfully pass on its genes.
But stick insects are not alone in allowing jealousy to drive their
biology. Male Idaho ground squirrels are among the most possessive of
their mates. They follow them around constantly, never letting them out
of their sight and they will attack any other male that comes near her.
He will even sit in front of any burrow that she goes into to prevent
her leaving or any other squirrel entering the burrow. The blue milkweed
beetle is another envious insect. The male after sex rides around on
the female’s back, purely to stop any other male mating with his mate.
But males have a good reason to be jealous, as it doesn’t take much for
females to stray. While historically it is often expected that men are
the ones to stray from their mates (often misguided by Bateman’s
principle), since the 1980s genetic evidence has shown that it’s
actually rare for a female’s offspring to have originated from a single
males sperm.
Often it has even been shown to actually be
advantageous to females to sleep around. The more female rabbits and
Gunnison’s prairie dogs mate the higher their rate of conception will
be. Female sand lizards will hatch more eggs if she’s had more lovers
and some fish have bigger and stronger offspring the more males they’ve
mated with.
So while jealousy isn’t the most attractive of traits, remember, it does serve a purpose, at least to some individuals. JB
John, S., 1980. Effects of Mating on Predation in the Stick Insect
Diapheromera veliei Walsh (Phasmatodea: Heteronemiidae). Annals of the
Entomological Society of America, 73 (5) pp. 554–556.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/
http://www.epjournal.net/blog/
Whether
it’s a partners new friend or a colleagues promotion at work, we’ve all
been affected by the green eyed monster that is jealousy at some point,
but did you know that jealousy has an evolutionary value?
Male stick insects are among the most tireless of lovers. The tiny male which is only half the size of its female counterpart clings on to its partner for up to ten weeks. This continuous c
Male stick insects are among the most tireless of lovers. The tiny male which is only half the size of its female counterpart clings on to its partner for up to ten weeks. This continuous c
opulation prevents any other male from mating with this female in a bid to successfully pass on its genes.
But stick insects are not alone in allowing jealousy to drive their biology. Male Idaho ground squirrels are among the most possessive of their mates. They follow them around constantly, never letting them out of their sight and they will attack any other male that comes near her. He will even sit in front of any burrow that she goes into to prevent her leaving or any other squirrel entering the burrow. The blue milkweed beetle is another envious insect. The male after sex rides around on the female’s back, purely to stop any other male mating with his mate.
But males have a good reason to be jealous, as it doesn’t take much for females to stray. While historically it is often expected that men are the ones to stray from their mates (often misguided by Bateman’s principle), since the 1980s genetic evidence has shown that it’s actually rare for a female’s offspring to have originated from a single males sperm.
Often it has even been shown to actually be advantageous to females to sleep around. The more female rabbits and Gunnison’s prairie dogs mate the higher their rate of conception will be. Female sand lizards will hatch more eggs if she’s had more lovers and some fish have bigger and stronger offspring the more males they’ve mated with.
So while jealousy isn’t the most attractive of traits, remember, it does serve a purpose, at least to some individuals. JB
John, S., 1980. Effects of Mating on Predation in the Stick Insect Diapheromera veliei Walsh (Phasmatodea: Heteronemiidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 73 (5) pp. 554–556.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/
http://www.epjournal.net/blog/
But stick insects are not alone in allowing jealousy to drive their biology. Male Idaho ground squirrels are among the most possessive of their mates. They follow them around constantly, never letting them out of their sight and they will attack any other male that comes near her. He will even sit in front of any burrow that she goes into to prevent her leaving or any other squirrel entering the burrow. The blue milkweed beetle is another envious insect. The male after sex rides around on the female’s back, purely to stop any other male mating with his mate.
But males have a good reason to be jealous, as it doesn’t take much for females to stray. While historically it is often expected that men are the ones to stray from their mates (often misguided by Bateman’s principle), since the 1980s genetic evidence has shown that it’s actually rare for a female’s offspring to have originated from a single males sperm.
Often it has even been shown to actually be advantageous to females to sleep around. The more female rabbits and Gunnison’s prairie dogs mate the higher their rate of conception will be. Female sand lizards will hatch more eggs if she’s had more lovers and some fish have bigger and stronger offspring the more males they’ve mated with.
So while jealousy isn’t the most attractive of traits, remember, it does serve a purpose, at least to some individuals. JB
John, S., 1980. Effects of Mating on Predation in the Stick Insect Diapheromera veliei Walsh (Phasmatodea: Heteronemiidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 73 (5) pp. 554–556.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/
http://www.epjournal.net/blog/
No comments:
Post a Comment