On April 15, 2025, Alison Pischedda, assistant professor of biology, published new research in Animal Behaviour led by Barnard alum Isabella Martinez ’24. The paper, titled “Sexual conflict over mating duration in Drosophila melanogaster,” sheds light on why some fruit fly matings last much longer than necessary and who benefits. In Drosophila melanogaster, males often control mating duration, sometimes extending copulation well beyond the point of sperm transfer. The study found that males from genetic lines with longer mating durations were more successful at fathering offspring, especially when paired with smaller females. However, these prolonged matings came at a cost to females, who produced fewer offspring after longer matings. The findings reveal a subtle conflict between the sexes, where evolutionary advantages for males can negatively impact female fitness.
This project was the focus of Martinez’s senior thesis, for which she received support from a Grant-In-Aid-of-Research from Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society.