New research suggests that females are more promiscuous when they live in colder climates and are happier being monogamous when it is hotter, The London Economic reported.
In a recent fruit fly study, researchers from the University of Exeter found that in addition to females having more sexual partners in colder climates, some are genetically wired to be more promiscuous and will do so whatever the weather, while others will consistently stick to one mate.
"This is a textbook example of the role of genes versus environment. Sexual behavior is really hardwired into females. It makes sense biologically for females to have a number of partners as they will produce more offspring that are more genetically diverse and survive better," Dr. Michelle Taylor, lead researcher on the study, said in a statement. "What is interesting, and what needs further research, is the question of why some females stay with one partner. We don't know what maintains monogamy."
For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from wild fruit flies from the hot climate of Arizona and cold climes of Montana in North America. They observed their behavior in a laboratory at the University of Exeter's Penryn campus in Cornwall.
They found the influence of genes versus environment (temperature) on the mating habits of female flies. In this case, more females accepted more partners when living in colder conditions, while more remained monogamous in hotter conditions.
However, researchers also found that some female fruit flies were always more likely to have more male partners than others even when living at conditions very different to their original habitat, demonstrating that although temperature can encourage females to change their behavior, ultimately the genetic background of each female remains the most important factor when predicting how many male partners a female will have in her life.
"These results are an important step towards understanding how genes and environment contribute towards behavior and ultimately how behavior affects the success or failure of natural populations," Taylor said.
The findings are detailed in the journal Behavioral Ecology.
