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RATHER than conserve energy when they are faced with starvation, male fruit flies seem to turn to sex. Researchers have uncovered a genetic link between food availability and courtship behaviour.

William Mattox and his colleagues at the University of Texas screened Drosophila fruit flies for genes that are only active in males. They identified a gene called takeout, which was already known to be switched on during starvation.

Males with mutated versions of the gene pursued females less avidly than did normal males (Genes and Development, vol 16, p 2879).

The gene was found to be most active in the fat tissue surrounding the flies’ brains, suggesting that the males’ courtship behaviour might be partly regulated by fat levels. Mattox speculates that when food is scarce, the takeout gene may boost their motivation to mate.