One might think that the rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) could have an impact on whether an organism evolves monogamous behaviour, but a new study shows that it’s likely not as important as other factors.
Researchers built a mathematical model to assess whether the benefit of reducing infection risk via monogamous behaviour outweighs the risk of having fewer offspring. They found that it can, but only in certain situations.
For example, if the rate of STI transmission is very low, promiscuous individuals don’t risk much. Likewise, if the rate of transmission is very high, the advantages of sticking to one partner are marginal, as most individuals are likely to be infected anyway.
The authors conclude that the rate of STIs are not likely to be as important as other factors, e.g. the advantages of raising offspring with two parents.
Original research paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences on October 14, 2014.
Names and affiliations of selected authors
