How Fish Get Frisky
By Raychelle Burks
A new study has shown that some animals need to be turned on to be physically capable of putting out. According to researchers, successful mating requires female swordtails to be turned on so they can turn off repressive genes which stop them mating.What turns on female swordtails? Males with buff bods, colourful scales, and long tails. The team discovered that there are 77 genes involved in choosing a mate. “When females were most excited - when attractive males were around - we observed the greatest down regulation (turning off) of genes,” said University of Texas-Austin biologist Molly Cummings.
Turned off genes may work like too much tequila, lowering sexual inhibitions and making lady swordtails receptive to male advances. “In order to mate successfully, a female must be receptive to potential suitors,” say the
researchers in their paper appearing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Work in rats first linked female receptivity and gene activity. Adding in fish data gives what UTA
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| Swordtails - Molly Cummings' image (click to enlarge) |
Future work by the team will involve in situ genetic hybridisation – a technique that will allow them to identify activated genes within tissues, to help them to pinpoint areas of the brain that might be important in mate preference.
Get turned on by Raychelle's wonderful writing.
Fancy something else a bit fishy?
- Wibble wobble - Twelve headed jellyfish
- Hubble bubble - Scientists conjure baby trout from salmon
- Eeny Weeny - Little squirt's big potential
- Icky Dicky - Candirú: the willy fish
Main image: In fact a trout, provided by Michelle Vipond. But you get the idea.
Kind thanks to Molly Cummings for the other image. She seems to be the only
person on the planet with a decent picture of some swordtails.
Kind thanks to Molly Cummings for the other image. She seems to be the only
person on the planet with a decent picture of some swordtails.
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