Environmental enrichment improves mating success in fruit flies
Environmental enrichment, defined as housing conditions that include a combination of complex inanimate and social stimulation, has strong positive effects on brain and behaviour in various species. We extended previous studies to evaluate how enrichment affects mating success. In a series of experiments, we found that male fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, reared in an enriched […]
Causes and consequences of male-male courtship in fruit flies
The mechanisms maintaining homosexual behaviour in animals are not well understood. In fruit flies, where male-male courtship is prevalent, it has been suggested that young males gain from being courted by mature males, perhaps through learning. I conducted two series of experiments to critically examine why mature males court immature males and what immature males […]
Preference for related mates in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster
Although inbreeding is known for its negative consequences, recent theory predicts that inclusive fitness gains from inbreeding should outweigh the costs of inbreeding depression in many situations, resulting in optimal fitness from mating with intermediate relatives (optimal inbreeding). Consistent with this theory, in a previous field study on Drosophila melanogaster, we found that males were […]
Costs to females and benefits to males from forced copulations in fruit flies
Forced copulation, which is perhaps the most extreme form of sexual conflict, is ubiquitous among many species including humans. To better understand the evolution and maintenance of forced copulations, it is imperative to assess their costs and benefits. We followed up on recent studies indicating frequent forced copulations in two wild populations of fruit flies, […]
Measuring same-sex sexual behaviour: the influence of the male social environment
Same-sex sexual behaviour (SSB) is attracting increasing research attention, but quantifying and interpreting SSB present unique challenges. Chief among these are (1) partitioning the expression of SSB into separate influences from interacting partners, (2) distinguishing between same-sex behaviour, same-sex preference and same-sex orientation and testing for correlations between them, and (3) evaluating how the social […]