Female butterflies smell inbred males

Link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305200457.htm

In most species inbreeding is a bad thing because it tends to cause mutations and a lack of good overall condition. It would be great for the overall species if they could avoid inbreeding and therefore protect the growth and health of the species also about 50 percent of inbred males are sterile. Great, because a recent study has shown that butterflies are more likely to breed with outbreed males than inbreed males. This is a great adaptation to have because it limits the number of unhealthy butterflies. How does this work? Well, male butterflies release pheromones to attract a mate and it has been found that inbred male butterflies are releasing less of the pheromone than outbred males, causing them to have less offspring. A test was done to prove this by putting inbred and outbred males in a large cage and marked their genitals with a florescent dust and when they mated that dust would be transfered to the female and could be seen with a UV light. Then females were put in the cage with some of them having antennae painted with nail polish so they would not be able to sense the male sex pheromones. the results of the experiment were what they thought, in the butterflies with painted antennae mated with inbred and outbred males equally. The butterflies that could sense the pheromones clearly mated more with the outbred butterflies.

NOS Themes

• Science is Collaborative because a team worked on it.
• Science is based on evidence because the experiment had clear evidence 
• Role of motivation and curiosity because people did it because they were curious about inbreeding