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from the if-your-parents-didn't-have-children,-then-you-probably-won't,-either dept.
Monogamy may have a telltale signature of gene activity
In the animal world, monogamy has some clear perks. Living in pairs can give animals some stability and certainty in the constant struggle to reproduce and protect their young—which may be why it has evolved independently in various species. Now, an analysis of gene activity within the brains of frogs, rodents, fish, and birds suggests there may be a pattern common to monogamous creatures. Despite very different brain structures and evolutionary histories, these animals all seem to have developed monogamy by turning on and off some of the same sets of genes.
"It is quite surprising," says Harvard University evolutionary biologist Hopi Hoekstra, who was not involved in the new work. "It suggests that there's a sort of genomic strategy to becoming monogamous that evolution has repeatedly tapped into."
Conserved transcriptomic profiles underpin monogamy across vertebrates (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1813775116) (DX)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Immerman on Tuesday January 08 2019, @07:10PM (4 children)
Therein lies the distinction between social monogamy (long-term pair-bonding, common in many species) and sexual monogamy (not practiced by any species)
The problem occurs when an intellectual takes animal takes their bias for the former as as evidence of the desirability of the latter.
Of course, that's rather putting the cart before the horse - sexual monogamy was never promoted because it was "natural", it was promoted because it contributed to social stability, and thus the amount of wealth that a community of a given size could generate for its masters.
The more time young working age men spend competing to secure mating rights, the less they spend contributing to the community, and the greater the risk that a valuably productive individual will be injured or killed by a relatively useless rival.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 08 2019, @09:25PM (3 children)
octopus
praying mantis
black widow
naked mole rat
honeybee
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @04:13AM (2 children)
You might want to do a little more research into those before you make such ridiculous claims...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:40AM (1 child)
Anglerfish?
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @07:17PM
Some species do fall pretty close to the "permanently incorporated into her body" model that a few animals practice, since the males rapidly atrophy to the point that they can't survive independently any longer. Not really monogamy though, as a single female may host several mates. (though I suppose the males are monogamous, at least so long as the female doesn't swim near other spawning females)
Lets make it at least a little challenging though - the "permanently fused bodies" model crops up in several places, and obviously seriously limits further mating potential. But we're talking behavioral monogamy, so lets limit the search to species where both genders maintain the physical capability of mating with a different partner.