Photo via Wikimedia user Lupin.
In all species, some males are simply better looking than others. They have the right shape, dance, color or attitude to make the ladies of their species swoon. It’s generally assumed that good looks come from one thing: good genes. Win the genetic lottery and you’re set. Get a bum hand from mom and dad and, well, you can always try to mate again next year.
In turkeys, male come in one of two varieties: dominant and sexy or subordinate and, well, kind of plain. The dominant males have all the things female turkeys want like lots of bright, red flesh over their beaks. The subordinate males don’t stand a chance with the females, but that doesn’t mean they stand around and do nothing. They actually help get their more attractive brothers laid, thus helping pass along their genes through kin selection.
There was just one thing that didn’t sit right with scientists: how can closely related male turkeys—brothers that share 50% of their DNA—look so different? How can one be drop dead gorgeous while the other is nothing to gobble at? Continue reading “Beauty is gene deep: attractiveness in turkeys controlled by gene expression”
