Aticle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aticle - Essay Example Groups have long debated whether sexual preference is biological or is influenced by environment, and the repercussions this may have for homosexual law and culture in today’s society. In the gay marriage legalization debate, the media used the same sex bonded pairs of albatross (Zuk and Bailey, 658). Sexual interaction between individuals of the same sex has been noted in populations of dolphins, sheep and monkeys. But first, it is essential to define what constitutes homosexual behavior. The female-female pairs of albatross were not seen to engage in sexual activities. However, this does not mean that a quick roll in the nest did not occur. This makes one wonder whether relationships between same-sex pairs, without copulation, still class as homosexuality. Lack of the male species may have caused the same sex pairing among the albatross population. The preference of commitment over multiple partners then allows this same-sex behavior to persist over time. If a female pairs with another female, one or both may reproduce with a male, thereby increasing their chance of reproductive success in a pair rather than alone. This is known as co-operative breeding, where non-related adults help rear the young. However, this lacks the normal reproductive competition often seen between members of the same-sex. This form of co-operative reproductive challenges the ideas of the evolution of sexual reproductive strategies and orientation. Despite a possible increase in reproductive success in same-sex pairing than alone, these females are still in a dilemma. This is because the reproductive success of female-female pairs was less than that of female-male pairings. Homosexuality in nature may have previously been over-looked. Female and male Laysan albatross are not physically distinguishable. This is a commonality in many seabird species. Consequently, scientists had to determine gender through genetic tests (Zuk and Bailey, 659). This is thoroughly resource