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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Measuring and Altering Mating Drive in Male Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: February 15, 2017
Sensory genes and mate choice: evidence that duplications, mutations, and adaptive evolution alter variation in
1Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA. lhorth@odu.edu
Abstract:
Fascinating new data, revealed through gene sequencing, comparative genomics, and genetic engineering, precisely establish which genes are involved in mate choice and mating activity--behaviors that are surprisingly understudied from a genetic perspective. Discussed here are some of the recently identified visual and chemosensory genes that are involved in mate choice and mating behavior. These genes' products are involved in the production, transmission, and receipt of crucial sensory mate-choice cues that affect fitness. This review exposes newfound evidence that alternative splicing, gene-expression pattern changes, and molecular genetic variation in sensory genes are crucial for both intra- and interspecific mate choice and mating success. Many sensory genes have arisen through gene duplications, and data amassed from studies conducted at scales ranging from individual genes to genomic comparisons show that strong, positive Darwinian selection acts on several mating-related genes and that these genes evolve rapidly.
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