James Brody
November 21st, 2008, 12:41 PM
"Females of most species, including many mammals, mate with multiple partners. The driving forces for this practice, known as 'polyandry', have been a mystery for evolutionary biologists for decades. This research suggests that polyandry could be the result of females adapting to avoid producing offspring carrying selfish genetic elements that reduce male fertility.
The research team based the study on the fruitfly Drosophila pseudoobscura, which they bred over ten generations. Some males of this species carry a 'selfish gene' on their X chromosome that causes sperm carrying the Y-chromosome to fail. This means that males carrying this gene can only produce daughters, all of which carry the sperm damaging gene."
More at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120144236.htm
The research team based the study on the fruitfly Drosophila pseudoobscura, which they bred over ten generations. Some males of this species carry a 'selfish gene' on their X chromosome that causes sperm carrying the Y-chromosome to fail. This means that males carrying this gene can only produce daughters, all of which carry the sperm damaging gene."
More at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081120144236.htm