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Matzke M, Rossi A, Tuni C. Pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection increase offspring quality but impose survival costs to female field crickets. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:296-308. [PMID: 36484616 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Whether sexual selection increases or decreases fitness is under ongoing debate. Sexual selection operates before and after mating. Yet, the effects of each episode of selection on individual reproductive success remain largely unexplored. We ask how disentangled pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection contribute to fitness of field crickets Gryllus bimaculatus. Treatments allowed exclusively for (i) pre-copulatory selection, with males fighting and courting one female, and the resulting pair breeding monogamously, (ii) post-copulatory selection, with females mating consecutively to multiple males and (iii) relaxed selection, with enforced pair monogamy. While standardizing the number of matings, we estimated a number of fitness traits across treatments and show that females experiencing sexual selection were more likely to reproduce, their offspring hatched sooner, developed faster and had higher body mass at adulthood, but females suffered survival costs. Interestingly, we found no differences in fitness of females or their offspring from pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection treatments. Our findings highlight the potential for sexual selection in enhancing indirect female fitness while concurrently imposing direct survival costs. By potentially outweighing these costs, increased offspring quality could lead to beneficial population-level consequences of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aurora Rossi
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Cristina Tuni
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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2
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Sorci G, Lesobre L, Vuarin P, Levêque G, Saint Jalme M, Lacroix F, Hingrat Y. Enforced monoandry over generations induces a reduction of female investment into reproduction in a promiscuous bird. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2773-2783. [PMID: 34950228 PMCID: PMC8674888 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While uncovering the costs and benefits of polyandry has attracted considerable attention, assessing the net effect of sexual selection on population fitness requires the experimental manipulation of female mating over generations, which is usually only achievable in laboratory populations of arthropods. However, knowing if sexual selection improves or impairs the expression of life-history traits is key for the management of captive populations of endangered species, which are mostly long-lived birds and mammals. It might therefore be questionable to extrapolate the results gathered on laboratory populations of insects to infer the net effect of sexual selection on populations of endangered species. Here, we used a longitudinal dataset that has been collected on a long-lived bird, the houbara bustard, kept in a conservation breeding program, to investigate the effect of enforced monoandry on female investment into reproduction. In captivity, female houbara bustards are artificially inseminated with sperm collected from a single male (enforced monoandry), or sequentially inseminated with semen of different males (polyandry), allowing postcopulatory sexual selection to operate. We identified female lines that were produced either by monoandrous or polyandrous inseminations over three generations, and we compared reproductive investment of females from the two mating system groups. We found that females in the polyandrous lines had higher investment into reproduction as they laid more eggs per season and produced heavier hatchlings. Higher reproductive investment into reproduction in the polyandrous lines did not result from inherited differences from females initially included in the two mating system groups. These results show that removal of sexual selection can alter reproductive investment after only few generations, potentially hindering population fitness and the success of conservation breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Sorci
- BiogéosciencesUMR 6282 CNRSUniversité de Bourgogne Franche‐ComtéDijonFrance
| | - Loïc Lesobre
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Pauline Vuarin
- BiogéosciencesUMR 6282 CNRSUniversité de Bourgogne Franche‐ComtéDijonFrance
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
- Present address:
Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive ‐ UMR CNRS 5558Université Claude Bernard Lyon 116 rue Raphaël Dubois69622Villeurbanne CedexFrance
| | | | - Michel Saint Jalme
- Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la ConservationUMR 7204 MNHN CNRS‐UPMCMuseum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
| | - Frédéric Lacroix
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Yves Hingrat
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLCAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
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3
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Rodriguez‐Exposito E, Garcia‐Gonzalez F. Metapopulation structure modulates sexual antagonism. Evol Lett 2021; 5:344-358. [PMID: 34367660 PMCID: PMC8327942 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the far-reaching evolutionary implications of sexual conflict, the effects of metapopulation structure, when populations are subdivided into several demes connected to some degree by migration, on sexual conflict dynamics are unknown. Here, we used experimental evolution in an insect model system, the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, to assess the independent and interacting effects of selection histories associated with mating system (monogamy vs. polygamy) and population subdivision on sexual conflict evolution. We confirm traditional predictions from sexual conflict theory by revealing increased resistance to male harm in females from populations with a history of intense sexual selection (polygamous populations) compared to females from populations with a history of relaxed sexual selection (monogamous populations). However, selection arising from metapopulation structure reversed the classic pattern of sexually antagonistic coevolution and led to reduced resistance in females from polygamous populations. These results underscore that population spatial structure moderates sexual selection and sexual conflict, and more broadly, that the evolution of sexual conflict is contingent on ecological context. The findings also have implications for population dynamics, conservation biology, and biological control.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Rodriguez‐Exposito
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD‐CSIC)Isla de la CartujaSevillaSpain
- Current address: Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA‐CSIC)Santa Cruz de TenerifeSpain
| | - F. Garcia‐Gonzalez
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD‐CSIC)Isla de la CartujaSevillaSpain
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
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4
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Pilakouta N, Ålund M. Editorial: Sexual selection and environmental change: what do we know and what comes next? Curr Zool 2021; 67:293-298. [PMID: 34616921 PMCID: PMC8488989 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Pilakouta
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Murielle Ålund
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
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5
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Wittman TN, Cox RM. The evolution of monogamy is associated with reversals from male to female bias in the survival cost of parasitism. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210421. [PMID: 33977790 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which parasites reduce host survival should depend upon how hosts balance trade-offs between reproduction and survival. For example, parasites are predicted to impose greater survival costs under polygynous or promiscuous mating systems in which competition for mates favours increased reproductive investment, particularly in males. We provide, to our knowledge, the first comparative test of the hypothesis that the mating system of the host is an important determinant of (i) the extent to which parasites reduce survival, and (ii) the extent to which males and females differ in the survival cost of parasitism. Using meta-analysis of 85 published estimates of the survival cost of parasitism from 72 studies of 64 species representing diverse animal lineages, we show that parasites impose a mean 3.5-fold increase in the odds of mortality on their hosts. Although this survival cost does not differ significantly across monogamous, polygynous and promiscuous mating systems, females incur a greater survival cost than males in monogamous species, whereas males incur a greater survival cost than females in polygynous and promiscuous species. Our results support the idea that mating systems shape the relative extent to which males and females invest in reproduction at the expense of defence against parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler N Wittman
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Robert M Cox
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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6
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Simmons LW, Parker GA, Hosken DJ. Evolutionary insight from a humble fly: sperm competition and the yellow dungfly. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200062. [PMID: 33070730 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of the yellow dungfly in the 1960s provided one of the first quantitative demonstrations of the costs and benefits associated with male and female reproductive behaviour. These studies advanced appreciation of sexual selection as a significant evolutionary mechanism and contributed to the 1970s paradigm shift toward individual selectionist thinking. Three behaviours in particular led to the realization that sexual selection can continue during and after mating: (i) female receptivity to remating, (ii) sperm displacement and (iii) post-copulatory mate guarding. These behaviours either generate, or are adaptations to sperm competition, cryptic female choice and sexual conflict. Here we review this body of work, and its contribution to the development of post-copulatory sexual selection theory. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
| | - Geoff A Parker
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - David J Hosken
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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7
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Sutter A, Travers LM, Weedon M, Oku K, Price TAR, Wedell N. No selection for change in polyandry under experimental evolution. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:717-730. [PMID: 30970158 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
What drives mating system variation is a major question in evolutionary biology. Female multiple mating (polyandry) has diverse evolutionary consequences, and there are many potential benefits and costs of polyandry. However, our understanding of its evolution is biased towards studies enforcing monandry in polyandrous species. What drives and maintains variation in polyandry between individuals, genotypes, populations and species remains poorly understood. Genetic variation in polyandry may be actively maintained by selection, or arise by chance if polyandry is selectively neutral. In Drosophila pseudoobscura, there is genetic variation in polyandry between and within populations. We used isofemale lines to found replicate populations with high or low initial levels of polyandry and tracked polyandry under experimental evolution over seven generations. Polyandry remained relatively stable, reflecting the starting frequencies of the experimental populations. There were no clear fitness differences between high versus low polyandry genotypes, and there was no signature of balancing selection. We confirmed these patterns in direct comparisons between evolved and ancestral females and found no consequences of polyandry for female fecundity. The absence of differential selection even when initiating populations with major differences in polyandry casts some doubt on the importance of polyandry for female fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Sutter
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.,School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Laura M Travers
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.,School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Melanie Weedon
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Keiko Oku
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Thomas A R Price
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Nina Wedell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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8
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Cooke AS, Morgan ER, Dungait JAJ. Modelling the impact of targeted anthelmintic treatment of cattle on dung fauna. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2017; 55:94-98. [PMID: 28843101 PMCID: PMC5637707 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2017.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The insecticidal properties of many anthelmintics pose a risk to dung fauna through the effects of drug residues in dung on the activity, oviposition and development of dung-dwelling invertebrates. Reductions in dung fauna numbers can inhibit dung degradation, which may impact biodiversity and nutrient cycling on farms. A simulation model was created to predict the impact of antiparasitic drugs on cattle dung fauna, and calibrated using published data on the dung-breeding fly Scathophaga stercoraria. This model was then tested under different effective dung drug concentrations (EC) and proportions of treated cattle (PT) to determine the impact under different application regimens. EC accounted for 12.9% of the observed variation in S. stercoraria population size, whilst PT accounted for 54.9%. The model outputs indicate that the tendency within veterinary medicine for targeted selective treatments (TST), in order to attenuate selection for drug resistance in parasite populations, will decrease the negative impacts of treatments on dung fauna populations by providing population refugia. This provides novel evidence for the benefits of TST regimens on local food webs, relative to whole-herd treatments. The model outputs were used to create a risk graph for stakeholders to use to estimate risk of anthelminthic toxicity to dung fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Cooke
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom; Sustainable Agriculture Sciences, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2SB, United Kingdom
| | - Eric R Morgan
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom; Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast,University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer A J Dungait
- Sustainable Agriculture Sciences, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2SB, United Kingdom.
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9
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MacPherson B, Mashayekhi M, Gras R, Scott R. Exploring the connection between emergent animal personality and fitness using a novel individual-based model and decision tree approach. ECOL INFORM 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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10
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11
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Kerstes NAG, Martin OY. Insect host-parasite coevolution in the light of experimental evolution. INSECT SCIENCE 2014; 21:401-414. [PMID: 24130157 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The many ways parasites can impact their host species have been the focus of intense study using a range of approaches. A particularly promising but under-used method in this context is experimental evolution, because it allows targeted manipulation of known populations exposed to contrasting conditions. The strong potential of applying this method to the study of insect hosts and their associated parasites is demonstrated by the few available long-term experiments where insects have been exposed to parasites. In this review, we summarize these studies, which have delivered valuable insights into the evolution of resistance in response to parasite pressure, the underlying mechanisms, as well as correlated genetic responses. We further assess findings from relevant artificial selection studies in the interrelated contexts of immunity, life history, and reproduction. In addition, we discuss a number of well-studied Tribolium castaneum-Nosema whitei coevolution experiments in more detail and provide suggestions for research. Specifically, we suggest that future experiments should also be performed using nonmodel hosts and should incorporate contrasting experimental conditions, such as population sizes or environments. Finally, we expect that adding a third partner, for example, a second parasite or symbiont, to a host-parasite system could strongly impact (co)evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels A G Kerstes
- Experimental Ecology, Institute for Integrative Biology, D-USYS, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Grazer VM, Demont M, Michalczyk Ł, Gage MJG, Martin OY. Environmental quality alters female costs and benefits of evolving under enforced monogamy. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:21. [PMID: 24499414 PMCID: PMC3922901 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 01/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Currently many habitats suffer from quality loss due to environmental change. As a consequence, evolutionary trajectories might shift due to environmental effects and potentially increase extinction risk of resident populations. Nevertheless, environmental variation has rarely been incorporated in studies of sexual selection and sexual conflict, although local environments and individuals’ condition undoubtedly influence costs and benefits. Here, we utilise polyandrous and monogamous selection lines of flour beetles, which evolved in presence or absence of sexual selection for 39 generations. We specifically investigated effects of low vs. standard food quality (i.e. stressful vs. benign environments) on reproductive success of cross pairs between beetles from the contrasting female and male selection histories to assess gender effects driving fitness. Results We found a clear interaction of food quality, male selection history and female selection history. Monogamous females generally performed more poorly than polyandrous counterparts, but reproductive success was shaped by selection history of their mates and environmental quality. When monogamous females were paired with polyandrous males in the standard benign environment, females seemed to incur costs, possibly due to sexual conflict. In contrast, in the novel stressful environment, monogamous females profited from mating with polyandrous males, indicating benefits of sexual selection outweigh costs. Conclusions Our findings suggest that costs and benefits of sexually selected adaptations in both sexes can be profoundly altered by environmental quality. With regard to understanding possible impacts of environmental change, our results further show that the ecology of mating systems and associated selection pressures should be considered in greater detail.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Oliver Y Martin
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology, D-USYS, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
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13
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Sharma MD, Minder AM, Hosken DJ. No association between sperm competition and sperm length variation across dung flies (Scathophagidae). J Evol Biol 2013; 26:2341-9. [PMID: 24016061 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Revised: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sperm length is extremely variable across species, but a general explanation for this variation is lacking. However, when the risk of sperm competition is high, sperm length is predicted to be less variable within species, and there is some evidence for this in birds and social insects. Here, we examined intraspecific variation in sperm length, both within and between males, and its potential associations with sperm competition risk and variation in female reproductive tract morphology across dung flies. We used two measures of variation in sperm size, and testis size was employed as our index of sperm competition risk. We found no evidence of associations between sperm length variation and sperm competition or female reproductive tract variation. These results suggest that variation in sperm competition risk may not always be associated with variation in sperm morphology, and the cause(s) of sperm length variation in dung flies remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Sharma
- Centre for Conservation & Ecology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Tremough, Penryn, UK
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14
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15
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Holman L, Kokko H. The consequences of polyandry for population viability, extinction risk and conservation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120053. [PMID: 23339244 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyandry, by elevating sexual conflict and selecting for reduced male care relative to monandry, may exacerbate the cost of sex and thereby seriously impact population fitness. On the other hand, polyandry has a number of possible population-level benefits over monandry, such as increased sexual selection leading to faster adaptation and a reduced mutation load. Here, we review existing information on how female fitness evolves under polyandry and how this influences population dynamics. In balance, it is far from clear whether polyandry has a net positive or negative effect on female fitness, but we also stress that its effects on individuals may not have visible demographic consequences. In populations that produce many more offspring than can possibly survive and breed, offspring gained or lost as a result of polyandry may not affect population size. Such ecological 'masking' of changes in population fitness could hide a response that only manifests under adverse environmental conditions (e.g. anthropogenic change). Surprisingly few studies have attempted to link mating system variation to population dynamics, and in general we urge researchers to consider the ecological consequences of evolutionary processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Holman
- Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Division of Ecology, Evolution and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
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16
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Intra-specific Variation in the Effect of Male Seminal Substances on Female Oviposition and Longevity in Callosobruchus chinensis. Evol Biol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-012-9193-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Martin OY, Gubler A, Wimmer C, Germann C, Bernasconi MV. Infections with Wolbachia and Spiroplasma in the Scathophagidae and other Muscoidea. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2011; 12:315-23. [PMID: 22172602 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Revised: 11/29/2011] [Accepted: 11/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The microbes Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are common reproductive parasites of arthropods and may strongly influence reproduction of infected hosts and also impact on reproductive isolation. Such infections could hence influence results of many studies assessing reproductive behaviour and fitness of possible hosts, as well as reproductive isolation. Previous work indicates that infections with the microbes Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are common in the Drosophilidae. However, extensive and targeted surveys of other Dipteran families are lacking. Here we survey the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria and a range of other species from the Muscoidea (families Scathophagidae, Anthomyiidae, Fanniidae and Muscidae) collected in the field or obtained from museum collections for infection with the widespread reproductive parasites Wolbachia and Spiroplasma. Both have been shown to be heritable symbionts and affect reproduction in other Diptera. S. stercoraria is a very important model for the study of sexual selection, and in particular of postcopulatory processes, as it has played a major role in the history of research on sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Infections with Wolbachia were found to be widespread across the Muscoidea, whereas infections with Spiroplasma were rarer. We discuss the consequences of these findings and directions for future research on the impact of reproductive parasites on host reproduction in the Scathophagidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Y Martin
- ETH Zürich, Experimental Ecology, Institute for Integrative Biology, CHN J 11, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
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18
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Wild yellow dung fly females may not select sperm based on dung pat microclimate but could nevertheless benefit from polyandry. Evol Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-011-9519-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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19
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Gay L, Brown E, Tregenza T, Pincheira-Donoso D, Eady PE, Vasudev R, Hunt J, Hosken DJ. The genetic architecture of sexual conflict: male harm and female resistance in Callosobruchus maculatus. J Evol Biol 2010; 24:449-56. [PMID: 21126275 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02182.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Males harm females during mating in a range of species. This harm is thought to evolve because it is directly or indirectly beneficial to the male, despite being costly to his mate. The resulting sexually antagonistic selection can cause sexual arms races. For sexually antagonistic co-evolution to occur, there must be genetic variation for traits involved in female harming and susceptibility to harm, but even then intersexual genetic correlations could facilitate or impede sexual co-evolution. Male Callosobruchus maculatus harm their mates during copulation by damaging the female's reproductive tract. However, there have been no investigations of the genetic variation in damage or in female susceptibility to damage, nor has the genetic covariance between these characters been assessed. Here, we use a full-sib/half-sib breeding design to show that male damage is heritable, whereas female susceptibility to damage is much less so. There is also a substantial positive genetic correlation between the two, suggesting that selection favouring damaging males will increase the prevalence of susceptible females. We also provide evidence consistent with intralocus sexual conflict in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Gay
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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20
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Michalczyk Ł, Millard AL, Martin OY, Lumley AJ, Emerson BC, Gage MJG. Experimental evolution exposes female and male responses to sexual selection and conflict in Tribolium castaneum. Evolution 2010; 65:713-24. [PMID: 21091981 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01174.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Between-individual variance in potential reproductive rate theoretically creates a load in reproducing populations by driving sexual selection of male traits for winning competitions, and female traits for resisting the costs of multiple mating. Here, using replicated experimental evolution under divergent operational sex ratios (OSR, 9:1 or 1:6 ♀:♂) we empirically identified the parallel reproductive fitness consequences for females and males in the promiscuous flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Our results revealed clear evidence that sexual conflict resides within the T. castaneum mating system. After 20 generations of selection, females from female-biased OSRs became vulnerable to multiple mating, and showed a steep decrease in reproductive fitness with an increasing number of control males. In contrast, females from male-biased OSRs showed no change in reproductive fitness, irrespective of male numbers. The divergence in reproductive output was not explained by variation in female mortality. Parallel assays revealed that males also responded to experimental evolution: individuals from male-biased OSRs obtained 27% greater reproductive success across 7-day competition for females with a control male rival, compared to males from the female-biased lines. Subsequent assays suggest that these differences were not due to postcopulatory sperm competitiveness, but to precopulatory/copulatory competitive male mating behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Michalczyk
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
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Gay L, Hosken DJ, Eady P, Vasudev R, Tregenza T. THE EVOLUTION OF HARM-EFFECT OF SEXUAL CONFLICTS AND POPULATION SIZE. Evolution 2010; 65:725-37. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01181.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Sbilordo SH, Martin OY, Ward PI. The karyotype of the yellow dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria, a model organism in studies of sexual selection. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2010; 10:118. [PMID: 20874599 PMCID: PMC3016996 DOI: 10.1673/031.010.11801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2009] [Accepted: 10/08/2009] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of karyotypical characteristics of a species is essential for understanding how sexually selected and sexually antagonistic traits evolve. The yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria L. (Diptera: Scathophagidae) is an established model system for studies of sexual selection and sexual conflict, but karyotypical data are lacking to date. Here, the karyotype of S. stercoraria was characterized using conventional Giemsa-staining and C-banding techniques. The diploid chromosome set consists of 6 pairs of bi-armed meta- or submetacentric chromosomes. The sex chromosomes are the largest chromosomes and constitute 30% of the total length of the diploid set in females and about 25% in males. Males are the heterogametic sex, and the length of the Y chromosome is about three-quarters of that of the X chromosome. C-banding revealed that both sex chromosomes are largely heterochromatic. In contrast, in the five autosome pairs, heterochromatin is limited to narrow bands in the centromeric regions. This karyotypic information will help provide a more profound understanding of the inheritance of phenotypic variation in reproductive traits and the chromosomal locations of underlying genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja H. Sbilordo
- Zoology Museum, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Institute for Integrative Biology IBZ, Experimental Ecology, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Y. Martin
- Institute for Integrative Biology IBZ, Experimental Ecology, Universitätsstrasse 16, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Paul I. Ward
- Zoology Museum, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
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Crudgington HS, Fellows S, Snook RR. Increased opportunity for sexual conflict promotes harmful males with elevated courtship frequencies. J Evol Biol 2009; 23:440-6. [PMID: 20039999 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01907.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mating systems have a profound influence on the probability of conflict occurring between the sexes. Promiscuity is predicted to generate sexual conflict, thereby driving the evolution of male traits that harm females, whereas monogamy is expected to foster reproductive cooperation, thus rendering such traits redundant. We tested these predictions using experimentally evolved Drosophila pseudoobscura subject to different mating systems. Female survival was not influenced by the mating system treatment of her partner. However, females continuously housed with males evolving under elevated opportunities for female promiscuity produced fewer total progeny, but a relatively greater number of progeny early in their lives, than females housed with males evolving under obligate monogamy. We also found that promiscuous males courted females more frequently than monogamous males. Variation in male courtship frequency and progeny production patterns among treatments reinforces the critical importance of mating system variation for sexual conflict, during both pre- and post-copulatory interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- H S Crudgington
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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24
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Maklakov AA, Bonduriansky R, Brooks RC. Sex differences, sexual selection, and ageing: an experimental evolution approach. Evolution 2009; 63:2491-503. [PMID: 19519633 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00750.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Life-history (LH) theory predicts that selection will optimize the trade-off between reproduction and somatic maintenance. Reproductive ageing and finite life span are direct consequences of such optimization. Sexual selection and conflict profoundly affect the reproductive strategies of the sexes and thus can play an important role in the evolution of life span and ageing. In theory, sexual selection can favor the evolution of either faster or slower ageing, but the evidence is equivocal. We used a novel selection experiment to investigate the potential of sexual selection to influence the adaptive evolution of age-specific LH traits. We selected replicate populations of the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus for age at reproduction ("Young" and "Old") either with or without sexual selection. We found that LH selection resulted in the evolution of age-specific reproduction and mortality but these changes were largely unaffected by sexual selection. Sexual selection depressed net reproductive performance and failed to promote adaptation. Nonetheless, the evolution of several traits differed between males and females. These data challenge the importance of current sexual selection in promoting rapid adaptation to environmental change but support the hypothesis that sex differences in LH-a historical signature of sexual selection-are key in shaping trait responses to novel selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei A Maklakov
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney 2052, Australia.
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Hosken DJ, Stockley P, Tregenza T, Wedell N. Monogamy and the battle of the sexes. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2009; 54:361-378. [PMID: 18793102 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.54.110807.090608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Sexual conflict has been suggested to be important in the evolution of reproductive traits, with much recent theoretical and empirical evidence emphasizing its role in generating sexually antagonistic coevolution in the context of promiscuous mating. Here we shift attention to the role of sexual conflict in a monogamous mating context. Conflicts can arise, for example, when males are successful in imposing monandry at a cost to female fitness, or when females impose monogyny on males. Conflict over remating can also generate monogamy. For example, when males invest heavily in attempting to impose female monandry, the cost of their investment may prevent them from securing additional mates. We emphasize that sexual conflicts need not always generate sexually antagonistic coevolution, and that it is important to consider whether mating decisions are controlled primarily by males or females. Finally, we briefly discuss approaches to distinguish between conflict and classical modes of sexual selection, as this highlights difficulties associated with deciding whether monogamy is enforced by one sex or the other. We suggest that documenting the current fitness consequences of mate choice and mating patterns provides insight into the relative importance of classic and conflict modes of selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Hosken
- School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, United Kingdom.
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27
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Demont M, Blanckenhorn WU, Hosken DJ, Garner TWJ. Molecular and quantitative genetic differentiation across Europe in yellow dung flies. J Evol Biol 2008; 21:1492-503. [PMID: 18800996 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01615.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Relating geographic variation in quantitative traits to underlying population structure is crucial for understanding processes driving population differentiation, isolation and ultimately speciation. Our study represents a comprehensive population genetic survey of the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria, an important model organism for evolutionary and ecological studies, over a broad geographic scale across Europe (10 populations from the Swiss Alps to Iceland). We simultaneously assessed differentiation in five quantitative traits (body size, development time, growth rate, proportion of diapausing individuals and duration of diapause), to compare differentiation in neutral marker loci (F(ST)) to that of quantitative traits (Q(ST)). Despite long distances and uninhabitable areas between sampled populations, population structuring was very low but significant (F(ST) = 0.007, 13 microsatellite markers; F(ST) = 0.012, three allozyme markers; F(ST) = 0.007, markers combined). However, only two populations (Iceland and Sweden) showed significant allelic differentiation to all other populations. We estimated high levels of gene flow [effective number of migrants (Nm) = 6.2], there was no isolation by distance, and no indication of past genetic bottlenecks (i.e. founder events) and associated loss of genetic diversity in any northern or island population. In contrast to the low population structure, quantitative traits were strongly genetically differentiated among populations, following latitudinal clines, suggesting that selection is responsible for life history differentiation in yellow dung flies across Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Demont
- Zoological Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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28
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Taylor ML, Wigmore C, Hodgson DJ, Wedell N, Hosken DJ. Multiple mating increases female fitness in Drosophila simulans. Anim Behav 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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29
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30
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Maklakov AA, Kremer N, Arnqvist G. The effects of age at mating on female life-history traits in a seed beetle. Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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31
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Fricke C, Arnqvist G. RAPID ADAPTATION TO A NOVEL HOST IN A SEED BEETLE (CALLOSOBRUCHUS MACULATUS): THE ROLE OF SEXUAL SELECTION. Evolution 2007; 61:440-54. [PMID: 17348953 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00038.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rapid diversification is common among herbivorous insects and is often the result of host shifts, leading to the exploitation of novel food sources. This, in turn, is associated with adaptive evolution of female oviposition behavior and larval feeding biology. Although natural selection is the typical driver of such adaptation, the role of sexual selection is less clear. In theory, sexual selection can either accelerate or impede adaptation. To assess the independent effects of natural and sexual selection on the rate of adaptation, we performed a laboratory natural selection experiment in a herbivorous bruchid beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus). We established replicated selection lines where we varied natural (food type) and sexual (mating system) selection in a 2 x 2 orthogonal design, and propagated our lines for 35 generations. In half of the lines, we induced a host shift whereas the other half was kept on the ancestral host. We experimentally enforced monogamy in half of the lines, whereas the other half remained polygamous. The beetles rapidly adapted to the novel host, which primarily involved increased host acceptance by females and an accelerated rate of larval development. We also found that our mating system treatment affected the rate of adaptation, but that this effect was contingent upon food type. As beetles adapted to the novel host, sexual selection reinforced natural selection whereas populations residing close to their adaptive peak (i.e., those using their ancestral host) exhibited higher fitness in the absence of sexual selection. We discuss our findings in light of current sexual selection theory and suggest that the net evolutionary effect of reproductive competition may critically depend on natural selection. Sexual selection may commonly accelerate adaptation under directional natural selection whereas sexual selection, and the associated load brought by sexual conflict, may tend to depress population fitness under stabilizing natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Fricke
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
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32
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Maklakov AA, Kremer N, Arnqvist G. Ageing and the evolution of female resistance to remating in seed beetles. Biol Lett 2007; 2:62-4. [PMID: 17148327 PMCID: PMC1617173 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Female remating behaviour is a key mating system parameter that is predicted to evolve according to the net effect of remating on female fitness. In many taxa, females commonly resist male remating attempts because of the costs of mating. Here, we use replicated populations of the seed beetle Acanthoscelides obtectus selected for either early or late life reproduction and show that 'Early' and 'Late' females evolved different age-specific rates of remating. Early females were more likely to remate with control males as they aged, while Late females were more resistant to remating later in life. Thus, female remating rate decreases with age when direct selection on late-life fitness is operating and increases when such selection is relaxed. Our findings not only demonstrate that female resistance to remating can evolve rapidly, but also that such evolution is in accordance with the genetic interests of females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei A Maklakov
- Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Evolution, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18d, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
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33
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Ward PI. Postcopulatory Selection in the Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria (L.) and the Mate‐Now‐Choose‐Later Mechanism of Cryptic Female Choice. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3454(07)37007-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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34
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Rundle HD, Chenoweth SF, Blows MW. THE ROLES OF NATURAL AND SEXUAL SELECTION DURING ADAPTATION TO A NOVEL ENVIRONMENT. Evolution 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2006.tb01859.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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35
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36
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Yamaguchi N, Dugdale HL, Macdonald DW. Female Receptiveity, Embryonic Diapause, and Superfetation in the European Badger (Meles Meles: Implications for the Reproductive Tactics of Males and Females. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2006; 81:33-48. [PMID: 16602273 DOI: 10.1086/503923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The European badger Meles meles is thought to mate throughout the year with two mating peaks occurring in late winter/spring and summer/autumn. After mating, fertilized ova enter embryonic diapause (delayed implantation) at the blastocyst stage, which lasts up to eleven months. Even if mating is successful, however, the estrous cycle may continue during embryonic diapause, which suggests that female badgers are capable of superfetation (conception during pregnancy). This may increase female fitness by facilitating polyandry, and reduce the risk of infanticide by resident males through paternity confusion. Detailed understanding of female receptivity, specifically the association of superfetation with embryonic diapause, may explain field observations of seemingly inconsistent reproductive tactics of male badgers with regard to, for instance, whether or not they guard mates or defend territories. The combination of embryonic diapause and superfetation may occur in other mustelids; if so, the sociobiology of mustelids will need reevaluating, and the Mustelidae may prove to be a good model taxon for studies of sexual conflict in the reproduction of eutherian mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Yamaguchi
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, Abingdon, United Kingdom.
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37
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Abstract
Sexual conflict is a conflict between the evolutionary interests of individuals of the two sexes. The sexes can have different trait optima but this need not imply conflict if their optima can be attained simultaneously. Conflict requires an interaction between males and females (e.g. mating or parental care), such that the optimal outcomes for each sex cannot be achieved simultaneously. It is important to distinguish between battleground models, which define the parameter space for conflict and resolution models, which seek solutions for how conflicts are resolved. Overt behavioural conflict may or may not be manifest at resolution. Following Fisherian principles, an immediate (i.e. direct) benefit to a male that has a direct cost to his female partner can have an indirect benefit to the female via her male progeny. Female resistance to mating has been claimed to represent concurrence rather than conflict, due to female benefits via sons (males with low mating advantage are screened out by resistance). However, the weight of current evidence (both theoretical and empirical) supports sexual conflict for many cases. I review (i) conflicts over mate quality, encounters between males and females of genetically diverged subpopulations, mating rate and inbreeding, (ii) the special features of postcopulatory sexual conflict and (iii) some general features of importance for conflict resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Parker
- Population and Evolutionary Biology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GS, UK.
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38
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Rundle HD, Chenoweth SF, Blows MW. THE ROLES OF NATURAL AND SEXUAL SELECTION DURING ADAPTATION TO A NOVEL ENVIRONMENT. Evolution 2006. [DOI: 10.1554/06-249.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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39
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Schwarzenbach GA, Ward PI. RESPONSES TO SELECTION ON PHENOLOXIDASE ACTIVITY IN YELLOW DUNG FLIES. Evolution 2006. [DOI: 10.1554/06-090.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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40
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Maklakov AA, Kremer N, Arnqvist G. Adaptive male effects on female ageing in seed beetles. Proc Biol Sci 2005; 272:2485-9. [PMID: 16271973 PMCID: PMC1599781 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2005] [Accepted: 06/28/2005] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Selection can favour the evolution of a high reproductive rate early in life even when this results in a subsequent increase in the rate of mortality, because selection is relatively weak late in life. However, the optimal reproductive schedule of a female may be suboptimal to any one of her mates, and males may thus be selected to modulate female reproductive rate. Owing to such sexual conflict, coevolution between males and females may contribute to the evolution of senescence. By using replicated beetle populations selected for reproduction at an early or late age, we show that males evolve to affect senescence in females in a manner consistent with the genetic interests of males. 'Late' males evolved to decelerate senescence and increase the lifespan of control females, relative to 'early' males. Our findings demonstrate that adaptive evolution in one sex may involve its effects on senescence in the other, showing that the evolution of optimal life histories in one sex may be either facilitated or constrained by genes expressed in the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei A Maklakov
- Uppsala University Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Evolution Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
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41
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Maklakov AA, Bilde T, Lubin Y. Sexual Conflict in the Wild: Elevated Mating Rate Reduces Female Lifetime Reproductive Success. Am Nat 2005; 165 Suppl 5:S38-45. [PMID: 15795860 DOI: 10.1086/429351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Sexual conflict over mating rate is suggested to play a pivotal role in male-female coevolution, and females are predicted to reject superfluous mating attempts. Recent work suggests that direct effects of multiple mating on female fitness are not fully understood. A major concern in studies of sexual conflict is how well the data obtained under controlled laboratory settings relate to natural conditions. We tested the effect of female multiple mating on reproductive success in a natural population of a polyandrous spider, Stegodyphus lineatus. Previous studies show that a male who succeeds in entering a female nest also mates with her; therefore, we used male encounter rate as a proxy of female mating rate. We further elevated female mating rate by introducing males into females' nests. Female lifetime reproductive success was assessed as the likelihood of successful reproduction, offspring production, and juvenile offspring body mass. Increased mating rate increased the time to oviposition and reduced the likelihood of successful reproduction. Female mating rate negatively affected offspring body mass. Manipulated females produced fewer offspring than control females. The observed patterns imply a net cost of polyandry to females and suggest that natural mating rates can be suboptimal for females under natural conditions.
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42
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Mclain DK. FEMALE SOLDIER BEETLES DISPLAY A FLEXIBLE PREFERENCE FOR SELECTIVELY FAVORED MALE PHENOTYPES. Evolution 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2005.tb01045.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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43
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Abstract
The immune system is of increasing interest to evolutionary biologists. Immunity may trade-off against other fitness components, with recent work suggesting reproduction in particular impinges on immune defence. There may also be sex differences in the immune system. Additionally, while life history traits typically have low heritability, little is known about additive genetic variance of immunity. An insect's major defence against multicellular pathogens is to encapsulate the invader. Phenoloxidase (PO) is a key enzyme in the cascade resulting in the melanized capsule, and is often used to estimate resistance to an immune insult. We examined the effects of copulation, egg laying, sex and age on PO in Scathophaga stercoraria. We also measured the heritability of PO activity. The sexes differed in haemolymph PO activity and PO was significantly affected by age, but not by copulation or egg laying. There was significant heritable variation for haemolymph PO.
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44
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Minder AM, Hosken DJ, Ward PI. Co-evolution of male and female reproductive characters across the Scathophagidae (Diptera). J Evol Biol 2005; 18:60-9. [PMID: 15669961 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2004.00799.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sperm morphometry is extremely variable across species, but a general adaptive explanation for this diversity is lacking. As sperm must function within the female, variation in sperm form may be associated with variation in female reproductive tract morphology. We investigated this and other potential evolutionary associations between male and female reproductive characters across the Scathophagidae. Sperm length was positively associated with the length of the spermathecal (sperm store) ducts, indicating correlated evolution between the two. No association was found between sperm length and spermathecal size. However, the size of the spermathecae was positively associated with testis size indicating co-evolution between male investment in sperm production and female sperm storage capacity. Furthermore, species with a higher degree of polyandry (larger testes) had longer spermathecal ducts. However, no associations between sperm length or length variation and testis size were found which suggests greater sperm competition sensu stricto does not select for longer sperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Minder
- Zoology Museum, The University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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45
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Abstract
Comparative analyses suggest that a variety of ecological and behavioural factors contribute to the tremendous variability in extrapair mating among birds. In an analysis of 1010 species of birds, we examined several ecological and behavioural factors in relation to testes size; an index of sperm competition and the extent of extrapair mating. In univariate and multivariate analyses, testes size was significantly larger in species that breed colonially than in species that breed solitarily, suggesting that higher breeding density is associated with greater sperm competition. After controlling for phylogenetic effects and other ecological variables, testes size was also larger in taxa that did not participate in feeding their offspring. In analyses of both the raw species data and phylogenetically independent contrasts, monogamous taxa had smaller testes than taxa with multiple social mates, and testes size tended to increase with clutch size, which suggests that sperm depletion may play a role in the evolution of testes size. Our results suggest that traditional ecological and behavioural variables, such as social mating system, breeding density and male parental care can account for a significant portion of the variation in sperm competition in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- T E Pitcher
- Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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46
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Kokko H. Treat ’em Mean, Keep ’em (sometimes) Keen: Evolution of Female Preferences for Dominant and Coercive Males. Evol Ecol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-004-7919-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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47
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Kelly McLain D. FEMALE SOLDIER BEETLES DISPLAY A FLEXIBLE PREFERENCE FOR SELECTIVELY FAVORED MALE PHENOTYPES. Evolution 2005. [DOI: 10.1554/04-648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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48
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Martin OY, Hosken DJ. Reproductive consequences of population divergence through sexual conflict. Curr Biol 2004; 14:906-10. [PMID: 15186748 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2004.04.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2003] [Revised: 03/24/2004] [Accepted: 03/24/2004] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Sexual-selection research increasingly focuses on reproductive conflicts between the sexes. Sexual conflict, divergent evolutionary interests of males and females, can cause rapid antagonistic coevolution of reproductive traits and is a potentially powerful speciation engine. This idea has theoretical and comparative support but remains controversial. Recent experimental evidence from Sepsis cynipsea indicates that populations with greater sexual conflict diverged more quickly; females were less likely to mate with males from other populations when flies had evolved under high levels of sexual conflict. The consequences of this divergence have not been addressed, so here we assess two female fitness surrogates after 44 generations of evolving (and diverging) under three different levels of sexual conflict. Longevity after copulation was negatively associated with the degree of sexual conflict under which flies evolved, and housing females with males also reduced female longevity. Female lifetime reproductive success (LRS) also tended to decrease with increasing conflict. However, there was evidence of either sexual-selection fitness benefits at intermediate levels of sexual selection and conflict or inbreeding depression in the smallest populations (those with the lowest levels of conflict). Nevertheless, the results indicate that there can be a fitness load associated with sexual selection and support claims that sexual conflict can lead to reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Y Martin
- Zoology Museum, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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