In many animal species, due tofemale infidelitiespart of the descendants of monogamous couples are sired by other males. However, this promiscuous behavior is difficult to explain from the point of view of evolutionary biology, since it can involve the withdrawal of parental attention, in addition to the risk of transmission of sexual diseases. Now, German researchers have found an explanation for the infidelity of female zebra finches ingenes inherited from your male ancestors, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
“The study shows, according to its genetic basis, that the promiscuity of females and males has similar traits,” says Wolfganf Forstmeier, co-author of the work and researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen (Germany), in statements to the Agency. SINC “Some males have agenetic variants (alleles) that increase your promiscuous attitude, which will lead them to have a wide and varied offspring “, explains Forstmeier.” In 50% of the cases, these genes will be inherited by female descendants, which will cause them to bemore interested in having a sexual relationship with other males than with their partner“, Add.
To reach this conclusion, the authors studied more than 1,500 captive zebra finches from five different generations with color bands to observe their mating behavior. In addition, they carried out genetic analyzes that revealed that the females inherited alleles that are responsible for the promiscuity of the males.
According to the researcher, the results allow us to understand “why some females have promiscuous tendencies, even if they do not benefit from it”. Furthermore, “they represent a paradigm shift in the interpretation offemale infidelityand, once again, they show that not all behaviors are adaptive, “he concludes.
