More sex leads to bigger erections, but that’s only for beetles, says new study

Penis size definitely matters, which is why many men resort to various measures to boost the length and girth of their manhood or improve their erection, from using urological plasters to placing implants. A new study found a new way to change the shape of the male genital, and it is something many males would be willing to do.

A study by researchers at the University of Exeter discovered that too much sex could lead to a change in the shape of the genitals. However, the study applies only to burying beetles. In the case of the male beetle, conflict over the frequency of mating led it to evolve longer penis-like organs. On the other hand, the female bug evolved larger claws on her genitals.

“It takes two to tango, so when changes in shape in one sex leads to corresponding changes in the other sex this is known as co-evolution,” The New York Post quotes Megan Head, one of the study’s authors.

The sexual conflict arises from the male wanting frequent sex because it increases the number of offspring the male beetle would likely produce. However, a female beetle needs to have sex only a few times to fertilise all her egg. Too much mating reduces a female beetle’s ability to provide parental care for her offspring.

The Exeter scientists picked pairs of burying beetles for its high-mating or low-mating rates, spanning 10 generations. They observed that the greatest changes happen in genital shape for beetles with high-mating rates when sexual conflict was greatest.

The penis-like structure of the male beetle, or its intromittent organs, became longer, while in response, the female beetle grew more pronounced claws on her genital.

Dr Paul Hopwood, from the university’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation, explains, “Although we don’t know the ins and outs of how these genital structures relate to the reproductive success of each sex, our results show that sexual conflict over mating can lead to co-evolutionary changes in the shape of genitals of burying beetles.”

He says the study shows the importance of conflicts of interest between males and females to generate some of the natural world’s biodiversity.