| Give affection, do not buy it. Does it really work? |
By: Prof. Fabio German Cupul Magaña - Official Member of the Mexican
Society for the Divulgation of Science and Technology SOMEDICYT
February 2006
- Leer en Español |
The phrase has been the common denominator of the anti-consumerism campaigns waged by this country’s federal government. Nevertheless, it implicitly extols the financial risks one can find oneself facing if one’s money is misspent in the acquisition of gifts intended to gain the love or confidence of others, it appears that what happens in nature is very different. There, offering a gift could be the key to acquiring the confidence of a friend or an enemy, something that will make the difference between remaining alive and leaving descendants and inevitable death.
One example of the foregoing is the male hanging fly that offers a dead insect to the female it is courting, which she devours during the sexual act. This gift is essential for the copulation to take place without any hitches. In order to get the gift for the future partner without complications, some of those flies prefer to become “drag queens”. By behaving like females and imitating their responses to courtship, they conquer a male through trickery. By imitating a female’s movements, a “drag queen” becomes the object of courtship by a male, thus obtaining the nuptial gift. But because it cannot maintain the ruse, the transformist fly has to flee with the gift which it will use to obtain the sexual favors of a female - if it is not the object of the same trick.
 Although some dead animal may be offered as a gift to the female to keep her distracted and achieve the sexual coupling, some insects offer their own bodies as a tribute of their love even though, if they have the opportunity to flee once the reproductive act is finished, they will do so without hesitation. For example, the coupling of the praying mantis could be very risky because once the male has finished depositing his sperm, he must get off the female’s back and escape before she can grab him and gobble him up. Unfortunately, although the males with which she copulates sometimes do manage to escape, there will always be on who pays the price for perpetuating his genes and besides, apart from donating part of his genetic information, he will be providing nutritional elements to the future mother of his offspring.
We have another situation where gifts are offered in order to obtain a favor when we consider the relationship between ants and acacia trees (known locally as jarretaderas). In this case, the acacia provides food and shelter to the ants and in exchange, it enjoys the protection of an army that will sting any intruder, plant or animal, whose intention it is to harm the tree.
In this relationship, the ants patrol the tree, killing any insect that may approach their territory and feeding their young with it. Also, the ants remove any seed that may sprout around the base of the acacia, keeping the soil free of any weeds or undergrowth that might compete for available water and nutrients. The creeping plants from other trees that may reach the branches of their host will also be eliminated.
In exchange for their work, the ants are compensated with shelter and abundant food. They live in the big hollow spines of the acacia, which they penetrate by making a hole near the tip. The queen and her offspring live in one of the spines. For their part, the acacia flowers produce nectar for adult ants and a special food for the larvae, which is collected by the worker ants.
One last example of how to buy one’s affection is the Arctic tern. For these birds, the gift of a fish from a male is the decisive factor in choosing a partner because the females need a good provider to ensure the desired results in reproductive activities.
After spending the winter in Antarctica, the tern return to the frozen Arctic Ocean to reproduce. A young male flies with a fish in its beak, hoping to attract a female. When he does, she sets down next to him and accepts the fish. Afterwards, she will wait to see how many more her suitor will bring to her. One bad performance on the part of the male will cause the female to abandon him in search of a better provider. But if he brings her enough “gifts” to satisfy her, it is nearly assured that he could also prove to be a good father, bringing enough food home to feed all the little ones.
These gifts are not just a means to getting a partner. The more the female eats during this time, the more energy she will have to produce eggs. Generally, she will lay two or three, but if she is well fed, their size and quality will be better. Furthermore, it increases the probability that the tern chicks will be born healthy and strong.
Prof. Fabio German Cupul Magaña
E-mail: fcupul@pv.udg.mx
The publication of this article is possible thanks to the authorization of Prof. Fabio German Cupul Magaña, author of the books "Tales of natural history in Vallarta - University of Guadalajara" (Relatos de la historia natural vallartense - Universidad de Guadalajara) and "Natural environment: Selection of essays of scientific disclosure - Coastal University Center of the University of Guadalajara". (Ambiente natural: Selección de ensayos de divulgación científica - Centro Universitario de La Costa Universidad de Guadalajara).
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