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PubMed1992

Love attitudes of white South African and British university students.

The Munro-Adams Love Attitude Scale was administered to 133 randomly chosen final-year undergraduate White South African and British university students in this examination of their attitudes toward love, courtship, and marriage in relation to the observation that, although South African tertiary educational institutions exist within the authoritarian and restrictive culture of apartheid, they nevertheless are modeled on the British educational system, which has its roots deeply embedded within a politically democratic context. Results indicated that the South African sample's endorsement of the love attitude items was weaker, except for those pertaining to the power of love, than that of their British counterparts. In addition, the South African scores were lower than those previously reported in other similar cross-cultural research, and there was a differential ranking of the three love styles by the male and female subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Peacekeeping and peacemaking: the conceptual foundations of a plan to reduce violence and improve the quality of life in a midsized community in Jamaica.

Thomas Jefferson noted that social ills breed economic ills and vice versa. An endless regress can occur with violence and mayhem as a chorus: Every community in the world has its own thresholds and patterns of violence, and communities experience varied levels of deterioration of safety with a reciprocal increase in violence. The United States, having undergone 200 years of social evolution as an independent nation, has a spiraling problem with violence. Jamaica, with only recent independence from British sovereignty, is an ideal crucible for the study of evolution of violence in a very young democracy and, hopefully, to identify problems and provide some solutions. Having gained independence from British rule in 1962, Jamaica immediately demonstrated a facile experimentation with forms of government that differed dramatically from what had been previously experienced under the rather rigid, autocratic British administration. In its 33 years of independence, this country has gone through some extraordinary shifts. An initial courtship with Communist theory led to a destructive liaison with Fidel Castro's version of Marxism. During this brief interlude, the intellectual ideals of equality and peace came into direct contrast with facts of a failing Communist regime. During this period, there was a steady exodus of wealthy Jamaican families for whom heavy taxation threatened financial ruin. The prime minister, the Honorable Michael Manley, a highly sophisticated left-wing intellectual liberal, soon realized the political cost of the alliance with his Caribbean neighbor, Fidel Castro, who was then and is now dedicated to old-fashioned, state-controlled Communism. He attempted to return to a free-market democracy with financial foundations that were, by then, very shaky. To succeed in a project to reduce violence and improve the quality of life, the entire community needs to be involved. From our work in countries where community projects were primarily financed by federal and state agencies, we were aware that the participation of private citizens in projects was essential for success. Commitment has an added intensity when personal time and funding is involved. Prime Minister Manley enthusiastically embraced and inspired this project, believing that it embodied the fundamental principles of democratic involvement to which he was committed. When the authors personally presented their plan to him, he accepted it immediately and with an obvious personal sense of urgency. Illness led him to resign the post of Prime Minister in 1993, but his successor, Mr. P.J. Patterson, has continued in the same committed, democratic mode.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed1987

A comparison of sex offenders against female and male minors.

Male sex offenders against minors were grouped according to age and sex of victims, and according to whether they had offended against one or more than one minor. Cases of incest or courtship disorder were not included in the study. Among offenders against female children, the number of one-case offenders was substantially larger than that of multicase offenders. The opposite was true of offenders against male children, and there was no significant difference between one-case and multicase offenders against female or male early adolescents. If these counts reflect corresponding prevalences within sex offenders against minors in a Western cultural setting, some inferences can be made from these comparisons.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Doublesex gene expression in the central nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster.

Despite several behavior-genetic studies that have suggested roles played by doublesex (dsx) in neural tissues, it has not been demonstrated that the products of this gene are actually present in the central nervous system (CNS). In this report, we describe the cellular, spatial, and temporal expression patterns of dsx gene products in the developing and adult CNS by applying RT-PCR and immunohistochemical procedures. dsx gene products were detected in the CNS of 3rd-instar larvae, pupae, and adults. DSX-immunoreactive signals were observed within the brain and in both the thoracic plus abdominal ganglia of the ventral nerve cord. Most, but not all, cells inferred to contain DSX proteins (by the results of genetic controls for antibody specificity) were further determined to be neurons (by coexpression of a protein that marks such CNS cell types). Temporally varying expression of DSX was most prominently observed in the rapidly metamorphosing early and mid-pupal stages, suggesting that this gene contributes to establishment of sexually dimorphic neuronal structures which subserve adult sexual behaviors. Elements of the spatial and temporal patterns of DSX immunoreactivity also imply that sexually dimorphic dsx expression in certain neuronal clusters within the adult CNS could participate in ongoing operations of the mature nervous system with respect to the courtship behaviors that are affected by dsx mutations.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Species-specific patterns of sexual dimorphism in the expression of fruitless protein, a neural musculinizing factor in Drosophila.

In Drosophila melanogaster, male-specific forms of the fruitless (fru) gene product, mFru protein, function as a neural sex-determination factors that directs the development of at least two male characteristics, namely courtship and mating behavior and the formation of the muscle of Lawrence (MOL). In D. melanogaster, the male-specific expression of Fru protein in motoneurons is responsible for the male-limited induction of the MOL by such neurons. Although no Drosophila species whose females have the MOL are known, there are many Drosophila species whose males lack the MOL. We performed immunohistochemical staining of the central nervous system (CNS) from 9 Drosophila species to determine whether the mFru expression profile is different between MOL-present and MOL-absent species. In 8 of the 9 species, Fru protein expression in the CNS is strictly male-specific, regardless of the presence or absence of the MOL. The sole exception is D. suzukii, in which females express the Fru protein though less extensively than males do: Fru expression in the CNS of female D. suzukii is restricted to the lamina and ventral ganglia. Expression of Fru protein in the lamina is observed in males of D. virilis and in both sexes of D. suzukii, but not in males and females of the 7 other species. These results indicate that sexually dimorphic expression of the Fru protein has been subjected to species-specific modulation during evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Evolution of sexuality: biology and behavior.

Sexual reproduction in animals and plants is far more prevalent than asexual reproduction, and there is no dearth of hypotheses attempting to explain why. Even bacteria and viruses, which reproduce by cloning, engage in promiscuous horizontal gene exchange ("parasexual reproduction") on such short time scales that they evolve genotypic diversity even more rapidly than eukaryotes. (We confront this daily in the form of antimicrobial resistance.) The host-parasite and host-pathogen arms race purports to explain the prevalence of sexual reproduction, yet there are over a dozen other hypotheses, including the proposition that sexual reproduction purges the genome of deleterious mutations. An equally daunting challenge is to understand, in terms of evolutionary logic, the jungle of diverse courtship and mating strategies that we find in nature. The phenotypic plasticity of sex determination in animals suggests that the central nervous system and reproductive tract may not reach the same endpoint on the continuum between our stereotypic male and female extremes. Why are there only two kinds of gametes in most eukaryotes? Why are most flowering plants, and few animals, hermaphroditic? Why do male animals compete more for access to females than the other way around in most animals that have been studied?This review presents more questions than answers, but an extraordinary wealth of data has been collected, and new genetic techniques will provide new answers. The possible relevance of these data to human sexuality will be discussed in a future article.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Destinations unknown: the gender construction and changing nature of the sexual expressions of Thai youth.

This paper discusses qualitative findings from a study of the sexual awareness, lifestyles and related health service needs of young, single factory workers in Thailand. The context of this study is Thailand's growing industrialization, the deepening intensity of the threats to sexual health (especially regarding HIV/AIDS transmission) and the vulnerability of young migrant women. Findings from 18 focus group discussions held with groups of young (15-24) male and female factory workers are outlined with principal reference to the gender construction of sexuality. Key themes explored include attitudes towards courtship, marriage, sexual feelings and arousal, expressions of involvement in pre-marital sexual activities and the consequences of such activity. In conclusion there is some discussion of the implication for young women's sexual health, of the interplay of a measure of pre-marital intercourse and the continuing emotional barriers to effective use of contraception.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2003

Reproductive abnormalities, teratogenicity, and developmental problems in American kestrels (Falco sparverius) exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls.

This study found abnormalities in multiple reproductive stages in captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) when exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through dietary and in ovo exposure. American kestrels laid eggs with environmentally relevant total PCB levels (34.1 micrograms/g whole egg wet weight) when consuming PCB-spiked (Aroclor 1248:1254:1260) food (5-7 micrograms/g body weight per day) for 100 d only in 1998. In 1999, the same adults laid eggs with estimated total PCBs of 23 micrograms/g. Effects of maternal (only female exposed) and paternal (only male exposed) in ovo PCB exposure were investigated. Maternal F1 eggs contained predicted total PCB concentrations of 0.34 microgram/g. Specific abnormalities occurred more frequently during dietary F0 exposure, particularly aggressive courtship interactions, clutch abandonment, occurrences of cracked eggs, and developmental effects. Multiple developmental effects were more pronounced during than after dietary PCB exposure of adults, and although these effects were limited, nevertheless they occurred in the F1 maternal and F1 paternal pairs. However, the incidence of multiple deformities throughout the breeding season increased dramatically from 1998 (13%) to 1999 (56%) in F0 PCB-exposed pairs. Developmental abnormalities were unlikely to be attributed to the extrinsic factors of disease, genetics, or nutritional (vitamin D3) deficiencies, but rather to adverse changes in parental behavior and intrinsic factors involving altered genetic material and PCB exposure. Readily cleared PCB congeners may induce specific types of behavioral and developmental abnormalities, but persistent congeners and metabolites are likely producing (1) odd laying patterns, (2) odd laying patterns, (2) developmental effects including embryonic underdevelopment and edema, and (3) increased incidences of multiple deformities within a clutch.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Defense of females, but not social status, predicts plasma androgen levels in male spotted hyenas.

A positive correlation between male social status and testosterone levels is expected and often found in social species with high rates of agonistic interactions or when social relationships among males are unstable. In contrast, in species with low rates of agonistic interactions or when social relationships are stable, testosterone levels should not correlate with social status. The "challenge hypothesis" predicts that androgen levels should rise during periods of courtship or mate guarding. We addressed these questions in free-ranging spotted hyenas, a species with low rates and low intensities of aggression among males but where males spend extensive effort to court females. In males, we measured testosterone, its precursor androstenedione, and its metabolite 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone. As predicted, testosterone levels were significantly higher and androstenedione levels tended to be higher in males that, at the time of sampling, defended a female, compared with males that did not defend a female. Also, as predicted, there was no correlation between social status and androgen levels in male spotted hyenas.

Androgens↗
PubMed2001

Sexually selected traits and adult survival: a meta-analysis.

Traits correlated with male mating success are likely to be subject to sexual selection. Sexually selected characters are thought to be costly to develop and maintain. If males do not vary their investment in sexual traits in relation to their ability to bear the costs, there should be a negative relationship between male longevity or survival and the expression of sexual traits. In particular, a negative relationship is predicted by pure Fisherian models for the evolution of sexual ornaments. The same should also be true for traits that evolve via pleiotropy (e.g., due to sensory exploitation or bias) with no subsequent evolution of condition dependent modification. We collected information on the relationship between traits correlated with male mating rate and estimates of adult male survivorship or life span. In total we obtained 122 samples from 69 studies of 40 species of bird, spider, insect, and fish. In a meta-analysis we calculated the average sample size weighted correlation between trait expression and adult survival. Analyses at the level of samples, studies, and species revealed significant positive relationships (r = 0.08, 0.10, and 0.13, respectively; all P < 0.001). The unweighted correlation at the species level was r = 0.24. In general, males with larger ornaments or weapons, greater body size, or higher rates of courtship showed greater survivorship or longevity. This finding is inconsistent with pure Fisherian models or other models that do not incorporate condition or quality dependent trait expression. It suggests that male investment in sexually selected traits is not fixed but varies in relation to the ability to pay the underlying costs of expressing these characters. Hence, many secondary sexual characters are likely to be condition dependent in their expression.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Synchronous rhythmic flashing of fireflies. II.

Synchronized flashing by males of some firefly species involves a capacity for visually coordinated, rhythmically coincident, inter-individual behavior that is apparently unique in the animal kingdom except for a few other arthropods and for man. This paper reviews (1) diverse communicative interactions that have evolved from elementary photic signals, (2) physiological mechanisms of synchronism, and (3) theories about its biological meaning. Work of the past 20 years shows that flash synchrony is widespread geographically and taxonomically, appears in an astonishing range of spectacular display types, utilizes several neural flash-control mechanisms and is pervasively but enigmatically involved in courtship. No proposed function for synchrony has been fully established but theory and physiology concur in indicating that synchrony aids male orientation toward the female, female recognition of male flashing, or both. Increased mate choice for the female is one likely ultimate benefit.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

The evolution of female preferences for multiple indicators of quality.

In a variety of species, females exhibit preferences for multiple male ornaments. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this phenomenon. Which, if any, of these hypotheses is the most plausible in general remains largely unresolved based on the available empirical data. Yet theoretical studies conclude that the evolution of preferences for multiple signals of male quality is unlikely, especially when the use of an additional cue in mate choice strongly increases the overall cost of choice. This would imply that most male courtship characters do not reflect the male's genetic quality but instead evolved through Fisherian sexual selection. However, the existing models focus on ornaments that signal overall genetic quality and do not address the possibility that different ornaments provide information about different aspects of quality. Therefore, we develop a model in which the ornaments act as signals for distinct quality components. When the ornaments provide overlapping information about these quality components, we retrieve the results of earlier models. However, when the ornaments provide independent information, preferences for multiple ornaments may evolve, even when exhibiting multiple preferences is costly. We discuss our results in relation to the multiple-message and redundant-signal hypotheses for ornament diversity and identify parallels between Fisherian and good-genes mechanisms for the evolution of multiple ornaments.

Animal Communication↗
PubMed2004

Ontologies for behavior.

SUMMARY: Although dozens of biological ontologies have been created and deployed, relatively little attention has been given to using ontologies to represent behavior. Ontologies for two different behavior systems are described here. One ontology was a translation of a published ethogram, and the second was coded from video clips in a comparative study of jumping spider courtship. AVAILABILITY: http://mesquiteproject.org/ontology/.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2004

The role of heliothine hairpencil compounds in female Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) behavior and mate acceptance.

Studies on numerous insect species suggest that male-produced sex pheromones play a role in attracting females; as aphrodisiacs, making females more quiescent; or as a means of inhibiting competing males. Male heliothine moths display abdominal hairpencils during courtship, but the specific effects of the odors released on female behavior have not yet been elucidated. This study investigates the role of male hairpencil compounds in female Heliothis virescens mating behavior. Female H. virescens were exposed to filter paper loaded with hairpencil extracts of male H. virescens, Heliothis subflexa and Helicoverpa zea, and observed for behavioral responses to odors. Single synthetic compounds found in the H. virescens hairpencil blend were also tested. In mating assays between single male and female H. virescens it was found that: (i) antennectomized females mated less frequently than sham-operated females; (ii) females mated less frequently with males whose hairpencils had been surgically removed; (iii) females mated with males with ablated hairpencils if a filter paper loaded with one male equivalent of H. virescens hairpencil extract was presented simultaneously; and (iv) this effect was species-specific, as presentation of H. subflexa or H. zea hairpencil extracts did not restore mate acceptance. This study suggests that odors released by male hairpencils are important in mate acceptance by female H. virescens, and may play a role in mate choice and species isolation.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Importance of learning in the response of ewes to male odor.

Exposure of anestrous ewes to a ram or its odor results in the activation of the luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion leading to reinstatement of cyclicity in most females. Sexual experience and learning have been suggested as important factors to explain the variability of the female responses. In experiment 1, we compared the behavioral and endocrine responses of four groups of anestrous females that differed in age (young or adult) and previous exposure to males [naive (no exposure) or experienced (courtship behavior for young and numerous mating for adults)]. Age did not seem to affect the LH response to males or their odor. In contrast, sexual experience was a critical factor: the proportion of females exhibiting an LH response to male odor was significantly higher in experienced than in naive ewes. Sexual experience affected the response to male odor, but did not have an effect on responses to the male himself. A second experiment investigated whether the LH response to male odor could result from an associative learning process. Accordingly, we tested the effectiveness of a conditioned stimulus (lavender odor) previously associated with the male, in inducing the endocrine response. The results indicate that the odor of lavender activated LH secretion only in ewes that have been previously exposed to scented males. This demonstrates that ewes are able to learn the association between a neutral odor and their sexual partner.

Aging↗
PubMed2026

Digest: Chromosomal architecture of behavioral isolation in marine isopods.

How do reproductive barriers persist when diverging species come back into contact? Ribardi&#xe8;re et al. (2026) investigated this question in 2 marine isopods, Jaera albifrons and Jaera praehirsuta, whose males court females using divergent specialized setae. By combining population genomics and controlled crosses, the authors show that genomic regions resisting interspecific gene flow are concentrated on sex chromosomes and rearranged chromosomes-regions of low recombination that harbor the genetic bases of divergent male courtship traits.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A genetic analysis of male-predominant pheromones in Drosophila melanogaster.

Chemical signals from males play an important role in stimulating Drosophila melanogaster females to mate, and male-predominant pheromones may influence a female's choice of mates. Male-predominant pheromones also inhibit courtship, thereby functioning as antiaphrodisiacs. Interstrain variation in the ratio of two male-predominant pheromones (7-tricosene and 7-pentacosene) has been reported, but the genetic basis for this potentially important variation has not been examined. In a series of crosses between strains that differ radically in the amounts of 7-tricosene and 7-pentacosene, we have identified both X-linked and autosomal contributions to interstrain variation in the amounts of these compounds. The X-linked loci act as enhancers for production of the compound predominant in the strain from which the X chromosome originated. Autosomal factors for each of the two compounds appear to segregate as high vs. low, with incomplete dominance of high 7-tricosene over low, and low 7-pentacosene over high. A significant negative correlation between the quantities of 7-pentacosene and 7-tricosene in the F2 and backcross progeny, but not in the F1s or parentals, indicates linkage between autosomal loci regulating the expression of each compound. However, the phenotypic distributions of the backcross progeny indicate that additional unlinked loci are also directly involved in the production of these two hydrocarbons.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

smellblind: a gene required for Drosophila olfaction.

In this article we define and characterize the smellblind gene (sbl). We show that two mutants, sbl and olfDx9, both isolated by virtue of their olfactory phenotypes and analyzed extensively by others with respect to courtship behavior, contain mutations at a single locus. Meiotic recombination, duplication, and deficiency mapping are used to localize this gene, sbl, to cytogenetic position 14F6-15A2-3 on the X chromosome. Mutations of the locus are shown to produce severe defects not only in larval olfactory response to several volatile chemicals, but also in larval contact chemosensory response. Both sbl and olfDx9 give a robust response, however, in a new test of larval phototactic response, which we describe here. Both alleles are shown to be heat-sensitive lethals. Four additional recessive lethal alleles, two EMS-induced, one dysgenic, and one spontaneous, are also described.

Alleles↗