An Oxford University study of mating preferences in fruit flies (Drosophila) has found that males and females respond to the sexual familiarity of potential mates in fundamentally different ways.
While male fruit flies preferred to court an unknown female over their previous mate or her sisters, female fruit flies displayed a predilection for their 'brothers-in-law'.
These responses were significantly weaker in mutated flies with no sense of smell, suggesting smell plays an important role in the mating choices highlighted in the study.
The findings, which could have an impact on how we view mating preferences in other species, are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
First author Dr Cedric Tan, of Oxford University's Department of Zoology, said: 'The aim of the research was to test whether fruit fly males and females prefer to mate with the same partners repeatedly, or whether they prefer to mate with different individuals each time. In addition, we aimed to test whether males and females show mating preferences for the siblings of their previous mates.
'First, we found that males prefer to court novel females. This is a widespread phenomenon in many species, particularly mammals, but this is the first evidence of this phenomenon in fruit flies. More importantly, though, we discovered that females don't share this preference – if anything they go for a familiar partner.
'Furthermore, these preferences extend to the "in-laws" – males avoid their "sisters-in-law" (their previous partner's sisters) whereas females prefer their "brothers-in-law" (their previous partner's brothers) compared with a random potential partner. Males and females seem to detect the siblings of their previous partners using smell, because these preferences are much weaker in mutant flies that can't smell.'
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