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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: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday January 08 2019, @05:21PM
Well, there is known to be such a gene among prairie voles. IIRC those on one side of some particular river have it, and those on the other side don't. And it regulates (among other things) oxytocin. This, of course, doesn't imply that oxytocin regulation is what makes the difference, but it's grounds to study that carefully.
So the question in my mind is "Is the genetic change they're talking about related to oxytocin regulation?". I don't know how far back that got evolved.
P.S.: Just because prairie voles manage things that way doesn't mean that all monogamous/polygamous species do. But it would also be interesting if voles turned out to be an unusual exception.
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