Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Desirable Characteristics in Others01:26

Desirable Characteristics in Others

Various factors, including the type of relationship, gender, and duration of the relationship, influence the perception of desirable characteristics in others. While certain traits such as trustworthiness, cooperativeness, agreeableness, and extraversion are universally valued across all relationships, other characteristics are context-dependent and gain prominence based on specific relational dynamics.Universal and Context-Dependent TraitsTrustworthiness and cooperativeness are fundamental...
X-linked Traits01:19

X-linked Traits

In most mammalian species, females have two X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. As a result, mutations on the X chromosome in females may be masked by the presence of a normal allele on the second X. In contrast, a mutation on the X chromosome in males more often causes observable biological defects, as there is no normal X to compensate. Trait variations arising from mutations on the X chromosome are called “X-linked”.
X-linked Traits01:19

X-linked Traits

In most mammalian species, females have two X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. As a result, mutations on the X chromosome in females may be masked by the presence of a normal allele on the second X. In contrast, a mutation on the X chromosome in males more often causes observable biological defects, as there is no normal X to compensate. Trait variations arising from mutations on the X chromosome are called “X-linked”.
Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Background check: mutational input to size variation depends on ancestor's breeding value.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Heatwave winners and losers: cryptic coral holobionts differ in thermal tolerance.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Indirect pathogen transmission underlies an emerging infectious fungal disease outbreak in a wild reptile population.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Identification of multivariate phenotypes most influenced by mutation: Drosophila serrata wings as a case study.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2025
Same author

Variability of morphology-performance relationships under acute exposure to different temperatures in 3 strains of zebrafish.

Current zoology·2025
Same author

Effects of spontaneous mutations on survival and reproduction of Drosophila serrata infected with Drosophila C virus.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Exploring Life History Choices: Using Temperature and Substrate Type as Interacting Factors for Blowfly Larval and Female Preferences
12:14

Exploring Life History Choices: Using Temperature and Substrate Type as Interacting Factors for Blowfly Larval and Female Preferences

Published on: November 17, 2023

Genetic analysis of female preference functions as function-valued traits.

Katrina McGuigan1, Anna Van Homrigh, Mark W Blows

  • 1School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia. k.mcguigan1@uq.edu.au

The American Naturalist
|July 4, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Investigating female mate choice in fruit flies, this study reveals shared genetic control over preferences for male pheromones. Genetic variation in female preference doesn't maintain male trait diversity, suggesting selection on preference itself.

More Related Videos

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
10:50

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Fat Preference: A Novel Model of Eating Behavior in Rats
05:57

Fat Preference: A Novel Model of Eating Behavior in Rats

Published on: June 27, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Exploring Life History Choices: Using Temperature and Substrate Type as Interacting Factors for Blowfly Larval and Female Preferences
12:14

Exploring Life History Choices: Using Temperature and Substrate Type as Interacting Factors for Blowfly Larval and Female Preferences

Published on: November 17, 2023

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
10:50

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Fat Preference: A Novel Model of Eating Behavior in Rats
05:57

Fat Preference: A Novel Model of Eating Behavior in Rats

Published on: June 27, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Quantitative genetics
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Understanding the genetic basis of female mate choice is crucial for evolutionary studies.
  • Empirical challenges in measuring preference variation have hindered genetic analysis.
  • Female preference is often a complex, multivariate trait.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and apply a novel statistical framework for analyzing the genetic architecture of female preference functions.
  • To investigate the genetic basis of female preference in Drosophila bunnanda using a multivariate pheromone system.
  • To determine the relationship between genetic variation in female preference and male traits.

Main Methods:

  • Treated female preference as a function-valued trait.
  • Utilized random-coefficient models to analyze genetic variation without individual preference function measurement.
  • Applied the approach to Drosophila bunnanda with a known contact pheromone system.

Main Results:

  • Most genetic variation in female preference was explained by a single eigenfunction, indicating shared genetic control over responses to multiple male pheromones.
  • Genetic variance in female preference functions was uncoupled from genetic variance in male pheromones.
  • Breeding values for female preference functions showed a skew away from the direction of selection on male traits.

Conclusions:

  • Female preference functions exhibit significant genetic variation, largely controlled by shared genetic factors.
  • Genetic variation in female preference does not appear to maintain genetic variation in male pheromone traits.
  • Directional selection may be acting on female preference functions themselves, independent of male trait evolution.