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
