On December 16, 2024, Alison Pischedda, assistant professor of biology, published new research alongside several colleagues in the journal Ecology and Evolution, titled “Genetic Variation in Male Mate Choice for Large Females in Drosophila melanogaster.” The article is co-authored by several Barnard alums, including Grace Freed ’23, Isabella Martinez ’24, Avigayil Lev ’22, and Ana-Maria Anthony Cuadrado ’20.
Pischedda and her co-authors explain that biologists know male insects often prefer to mate with larger, higher-fecundity females. However, less is known about how this preference varies within insect species or whether any of this variation is due to heritable genetic variation in male mate choice. With this study, the researchers sought to address this gap in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster using a genetic tool called hemiclonal analysis to test for heritable genetic variation in the pre- and postcopulatory components of male mate choice for large females.
Results show heritable genetic variation in both forms of male mate choice: Males varied in the strength of their courtship preferences for large females and the degree to which they extended matings with large females. The researchers argue that genetic variation in male mate choice may be widespread, influencing the fitness of both sexes and the adaptive evolution of the population.