Sex, Flies, and Videotape: Pheromone-free Fruit Fly Frenzy

Research into the biochemistry of attraction has largely suggested that the signals contained in sex pheromones tend to allure and entice potential mates. In an October 15 paper published in the journal Nature, a team of biologists report very surprising findings from their recent study of fruit flies.

When the pheromones were removed, things got pretty freaky indeed. As reported by LiveScience, the study suggests that pheromones may serve to repel unwanted advances in addition to, possibly instead of, attracting suitable mates.

After the fruit flies in the study that were genetically selected to not produce key pheromones were let loose, the researchers found that things rapidly began to get a bit Caligula-esque.

Male fruit flies without the key class of pheromones were observed being courted by other males. And as for the females lacking the pheromone, well, they found themselves fending off the advances of males from different species altogether.

Study lead author Joel Levine of the University of Toronto explains to LiveScience what might be at the root of all those fogged-up fly cages.

"These pheromones provide recognition cues that facilitate reproductive behavior. Lacking these chemical signals eliminated barriers to mating."

Levine and his team found that normal sexual behaviors were restored when the fruit flies without the ability to produce the pheromones were treated with an aphrodisiac.

Photo courtesy of Image Editor, via flickr