Detection of mating behavior

A recent study of bisexual animals shows that female nematodes die faster if they mate with males.

>>>Use worms to decipher the 'mechanism of youth'

We all know that most nematode worms are bisexual animals, which means that these small worms can reproduce themselves without males. A recent study by scientists at Princeton University showed that female roundworms will soon age and die if they mate with males.

The nematode has an interesting feature: nearly 99.9% of the population is bisexual - females with 2 X chromosomes but can produce sperm and fertilize themselves to give birth. The remaining 0.1% is male with 1 X chromosome. Because these animals can reproduce themselves, the researchers wonder why the male still exists when it is not really necessary.

However, when the male mate with the female, the scientists discovered, the life of the female shrinks. Experts predict that male sperm causes dehydration, shrinkage and death of females.

The author of the study Coleen Murphy said: "The life of the female roundworm will be reduced from 1/3 to 1/2 after mating with the male" . Explaining this phenomenon, scientists believe that, when the male sperm of the male worm (called DAF-9) comes into the female body, they will trigger stimulation of the reaction to the molecule. Stress hormones (called DAF-12) make children stress, lose fat, reduce their lifespan.

During 7 days, the female round worms mating with the male (lower row) became increasingly shrunk and died, while the mating airworm mating remained normal.

Further research, the researchers found, the effects of this "deadly" sperm not only occurred with the nematode (elegans) but also in the non-heterosexual species from the genus Caenorhabditis.

Nematode worms are often used by researchers to find solutions to basic sexual and reproductive questions. This little animal lives in the soil and eats bacteria. It is small and has a genetic path similar to that of humans. Research on sexual behavior in roundworms, experts will somehow understand the relationship between life expectancy and reproduction.