Ancestral sex-role plasticity facilitates the evolution of same-sex sexual behavior
Abstract
The evolution of same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) is an enigma because such behavior cannot directly result in reproduction. Theoretical papers predict that indiscriminate mating is an evolutionary driver of SSB, calling for empirical work to test this hypothesis. Here we show that same-sex pairing in termites is maintained not by indiscriminate mating but by behavioral plasticity with accurate sexual discrimination. Female and male termites can express the behavior of the other sex, which contributes to maintaining pair coordination. Phylogenetic comparative analysis suggests that such behavioral flexibility was inherited from an ancestral lineage. We show that SSB can evolve with highly accurate sex discrimination, combined with sex-role plasticity.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- November 2022
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.2212401119
- Bibcode:
- 2022PNAS..11912401M