AQA A Level Biology复习笔记4.5.1 Courtship

• Organisms belong to the same species if they interbreed in their natural habitat to produce fertile offspring
• The process of successful interbreeding or mating is preceded by some form of courtship behaviour
• Courtship in animals is a behaviour that eventually results in mating and reproduction
• It can be a very simple process that involves a small number of visual, chemical or auditory stimuli
• It can also be a highly complex sequence of acts by two or more individuals, which are using several modes of communication
  • Many birds of paradise have intricate and impressive courtship rituals

   

• Courtship can play a major role in species recognition

Courtship Behaviour in Drosophila

• There are several different species of fruit fly within the genus Drosophila
• It is extremely difficult to tell the different species apart from one another by their physical appearance
• However, the different species of fruit fly have different courtship rituals which aid species recognition
• Before mating the male fruit fly performs a dance: he vibrates his wings, alters his body position and licks the female
• This sequence of events performed by the male is controlled by several genes and is specific to each species
• A female will not respond to or mate with a male that displays an incorrect courtship dance
• Females also have certain actions that she goes through to tell the male she is not interested which is understood by the male

转载自savemyexams