1
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Playing to the crowd: Using Drosophila to dissect mechanisms underlying plastic male strategies in sperm competition games. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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2
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Marquez‐Rosado A, Garcia‐Co C, Londoño‐Nieto C, Carazo P. No evidence that relatedness or familiarity modulates male harm in Drosophila melanogaster flies from a wild population. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8803. [PMID: 35432938 PMCID: PMC8995922 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection frequently promotes the evolution of aggressive behaviors that help males compete against their rivals, but which may harm females and hamper their fitness. Kin selection theory predicts that optimal male-male competition levels can be reduced when competitors are more genetically related to each other than to the population average, contributing to resolve this sexual conflict. Work in Drosophila melanogaster has spearheaded empirical tests of this idea, but studies so far have been conducted in laboratory-adapted populations in homogeneous rearing environments that may hamper kin recognition, and used highly skewed sex ratios that may fail to reflect average natural conditions. Here, we performed a fully factorial design with the aim of exploring how rearing environment (i.e., familiarity) and relatedness affect male-male aggression, male harassment, and overall male harm levels in flies from a wild population of Drosophila melanogaster, under more natural conditions. Namely, we (a) manipulated relatedness and familiarity so that larvae reared apart were raised in different environments, as is common in the wild, and (b) studied the effects of relatedness and familiarity under average levels of male-male competition in the field. We show that, contrary to previous findings, groups of unrelated-unfamiliar males were as likely to fight with each other and harass females than related-familiar males and that overall levels of male harm to females were similar across treatments. Our results suggest that the role of kin selection in modulating sexual conflict is yet unclear in Drosophila melanogaster, and call for further studies that focus on natural populations and realistic socio-sexual and ecological environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Marquez‐Rosado
- Ethology LabCavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ValenciaValenciaSpain
| | - Clara Garcia‐Co
- Ethology LabCavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ValenciaValenciaSpain
| | - Claudia Londoño‐Nieto
- Ethology LabCavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ValenciaValenciaSpain
| | - Pau Carazo
- Ethology LabCavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ValenciaValenciaSpain
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3
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Hitchcock TJ, Gardner A. Sex-biased demography modulates male harm across the genome. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212237. [PMID: 34933602 PMCID: PMC8692969 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent years have seen an explosion of theoretical and empirical interest in the role that kin selection plays in shaping patterns of sexual conflict, with a particular focus on male harming traits. However, this work has focused solely on autosomal genes, and as such it remains unclear how demography modulates the evolution of male harm loci occurring in other portions of the genome, such as sex chromosomes and cytoplasmic elements. To investigate this, we extend existing models of sexual conflict for application to these different modes of inheritance. We first analyse the general case, revealing how sex-specific relatedness, reproductive value and the intensity of local competition combine to determine the potential for male harm. We then analyse a series of demographically explicit models, to assess how dispersal, overlapping generations, reproductive skew and the mechanism of population regulation affect sexual conflict across the genome, and drive conflict between nuclear and cytoplasmic genes. We then explore the effects of sex biases in these demographic parameters, showing how they may drive further conflicts between autosomes and sex chromosomes. Finally, we outline how different crossing schemes may be used to identify signatures of these intragenomic conflicts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
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4
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Fisher AM, Le Page S, Manser A, Lewis DR, Holwell GI, Wigby S, Price TAR. Relatedness modulates density‐dependent cannibalism rates in
Drosophila. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam M. Fisher
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Sally Le Page
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Andri Manser
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Daniel R. Lewis
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
| | - Gregory I. Holwell
- School of Biological Sciences University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - Stuart Wigby
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Tom A. R. Price
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
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5
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R Rodrigues L, Torralba Sáez M, Alpedrinha J, Lefèvre S, Brengues M, Magalhães S, Duncan AB. Consequences of population structure for sex allocation and sexual conflict. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:525-536. [PMID: 33314358 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Both sex allocation and sexual conflict can be modulated by spatial structure. However, how the interplay between the type of dispersal and the scale of competition simultaneously affects these traits in sub-divided populations is rarely considered. We investigated sex allocation and sexual conflict evolution in meta-populations of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae evolving under budding (pairing females from the same patch) or random (pairing females from different patches) dispersal and either local (fixed sampling from each subpopulation) or global (sampling as a function of subpopulation productivity) competition. Females evolving under budding dispersal produced less female-biased offspring sex ratios than those from the random dispersal selection regimes, contradicting theoretical predictions. In contrast, the scale of competition did not strongly affect sex allocation. Offspring sex ratio and female fecundity were unaffected by the number of mates, but female fecundity was highest when their mates evolved under budding dispersal, suggesting these males inflict less harm than those evolving under random dispersal. This work highlights that population structure can impact the evolution of sex allocation and sexual conflict. Moreover, selection on either trait may reciprocally affect the evolution of the other, for example via effects on fecundity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonor R Rodrigues
- cE3c, Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mario Torralba Sáez
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - João Alpedrinha
- cE3c, Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sophie Lefèvre
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Sara Magalhães
- cE3c, Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Alison B Duncan
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
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6
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Faria GS, Gardner A, Carazo P. Kin discrimination and demography modulate patterns of sexual conflict. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1141-1148. [PMID: 32451427 PMCID: PMC7610387 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1214-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the overlap between kin selection and sexual selection, particularly concerning how kin selection can put the brakes on harmful sexual conflict. However, there remains a significant disconnect between theory and empirical research. Whilst empirical work has focused on kin-discriminating behaviour, theoretical models have assumed indiscriminating behaviour. Additionally, theoretical work makes particular demographic assumptions that constrain the relationship between genetic relatedness and the scale of competition, and it is not clear that these assumptions reflect the natural setting in which sexual conflict has been empirically studied. Here, we plug this gap between current theoretical and empirical understanding by developing a mathematical model of sexual conflict that incorporates kin discrimination and different patterns of dispersal. We find that kin discrimination and group dispersal inhibit harmful male behaviours at an individual level, but kin discrimination intensifies sexual conflict at the population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo S Faria
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK. .,Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France.
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Pau Carazo
- Ethology lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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7
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Males optimally balance selfish and kin-selected strategies of sexual competition in the guppy. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:745-752. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1152-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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8
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Khodaei L, Long TAF. Kin recognition and co-operative foraging in Drosophila melanogaster larvae. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:1352-1361. [PMID: 31454451 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
A long-standing goal for biologists and social scientists is to understand the factors that lead to the evolution and maintenance of co-operative behaviour between conspecifics. To that end, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is becoming an increasingly popular model species to study sociality; however, most of the research to date has focused on adult behaviours. In this study, we set out to examine group-feeding behaviour by larvae and to determine whether the degree of relatedness between individuals mediates the expression co-operation. In a series of assays, we manipulated the average degree of relatedness in groups of third-instar larvae that were faced with resource scarcity, and measured the size, frequency and composition of feeding clusters, as well as the fitness benefits associated with co-operation. Our results suggest that larval D. melanogaster are capable of kin recognition (something that has not been previously described in this species), as clusters were more numerous, larger and involved more larvae, when more closely related kin were present in the social environment. These findings are discussed in the context of the correlated fitness-associated benefits of co-operation, the potential mechanisms by which individuals may recognize kin, and how that kinship may play an important role in facilitating the manifestation of this co-operative behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Khodaei
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Tristan A F Long
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
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9
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Berg EC, Lind MI, Monahan S, Bricout S, Maklakov AA. Kin but less than kind: within-group male relatedness does not increase female fitness in seed beetles. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191664. [PMID: 31506055 PMCID: PMC6742989 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory maintains within-group male relatedness can mediate sexual conflict by reducing male-male competition and collateral harm to females. We tested whether male relatedness can lessen female harm in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. Male relatedness did not influence female lifetime reproductive success or individual fitness across two different ecologically relevant scenarios of mating competition. However, male relatedness marginally improved female survival. Because male relatedness improved female survival in late life when C. maculatus females are no longer producing offspring, our results do not provide support for the role of within-group male relatedness in mediating sexual conflict. The fact that male relatedness improves the post-reproductive part of the female life cycle strongly suggests that the effect is non-adaptive. We discuss adaptive and non-adaptive mechanisms that could result in reduced female harm in this and previous studies, and suggest that cognitive error is a likely explanation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena C Berg
- Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Science, The American University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Martin I Lind
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Shannon Monahan
- Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Science, The American University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Bricout
- Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Science, The American University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
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10
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Faria GS, Varela SAM, Gardner A. The relation between R. A. Fisher's sexy-son hypothesis and W. D. Hamilton's greenbeard effect. Evol Lett 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/evl3.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo S. Faria
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 9TH United Kingdom
| | - Susana A. M. Varela
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência; 2780-156 Oeiras Portugal
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa; 1749-016 Lisboa Portugal
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 9TH United Kingdom
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11
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Sultanova Z, Andic M, Carazo P. The "unguarded-X" and the genetic architecture of lifespan: Inbreeding results in a potentially maladaptive sex-specific reduction of female lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution 2018; 72:540-552. [PMID: 29336481 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in ageing and lifespan are ubiquitous in nature. The "unguarded-X" hypothesis (UXh) suggests they may be partly due to the expression of recessive mutations in the hemizygous sex chromosomes of the heterogametic sex, which could help explain sex-specific ageing in a broad array of taxa. A prediction central to the UX hypothesis is that inbreeding will decrease the lifespan of the homogametic sex more than the heterogametic sex, because only in the former does inbreeding increase the expression of recessive deleterious mutations. In this study, we test this prediction by examining the effects of inbreeding on the lifespan and fitness of male and female Drosophila melanogaster across different social environments. We found that, across social environments, inbreeding resulted in a greater reduction of female than male lifespan, and that inbreeding effects on fitness did not seem to counterbalance sex-specific effects on lifespan, suggesting the former are maladaptative. Inter- and intra-sexual correlation analyses also allowed us to identify evidence of an underlying joint genetic architecture for inbreeding effects on lifespan. We discuss these results in light of the UXh and other alternative explanations, and suggest that more attention should be paid to the possibility that the "unguarded-X" may play an important role in the evolution of sex-specific lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahida Sultanova
- Behaviour and Evolution unit, Ethology lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Muhammed Andic
- Behaviour and Evolution unit, Ethology lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.,Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey
| | - Pau Carazo
- Behaviour and Evolution unit, Ethology lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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12
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Le Page S, Sepil I, Flintham E, Pizzari T, Carazo P, Wigby S. Male relatedness and familiarity are required to modulate male-induced harm to females in Drosophila. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0441. [PMID: 28794215 PMCID: PMC5563793 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Males compete over mating and fertilization, and often harm females in the process. Inclusive fitness theory predicts that increasing relatedness within groups of males may relax competition and discourage male harm of females as males gain indirect benefits. Recent studies in Drosophila melanogaster are consistent with these predictions, and have found that within-group male relatedness increases female fitness, though others have found no effects. Importantly, these studies did not fully disentangle male genetic relatedness from larval familiarity, so the extent to which modulation of harm to females is explained by male familiarity remains unclear. Here we performed a fully factorial design, isolating the effects of male relatedness and larval familiarity on female harm. While we found no differences in male courtship or aggression, there was a significant interaction between male genetic relatedness and familiarity on female reproduction and survival. Relatedness among males increased female lifespan, reproductive lifespan and overall reproductive success, but only when males were familiar. By showing that both male relatedness and larval familiarity are required to modulate female harm, these findings reconcile previous studies, shedding light on the potential role of indirect fitness effects on sexual conflict and the mechanisms underpinning kin recognition in fly populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Le Page
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Irem Sepil
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ewan Flintham
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Pau Carazo
- Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution group, Instituto Cavanilles of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Stuart Wigby
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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13
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Duthie AB, Lee AM, Reid JM. Inbreeding parents should invest more resources in fewer offspring. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1845. [PMID: 27881747 PMCID: PMC5136589 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Inbreeding increases parent-offspring relatedness and commonly reduces offspring viability, shaping selection on reproductive interactions involving relatives and associated parental investment (PI). Nevertheless, theories predicting selection for inbreeding versus inbreeding avoidance and selection for optimal PI have only been considered separately, precluding prediction of optimal PI and associated reproductive strategy given inbreeding. We unify inbreeding and PI theory, demonstrating that optimal PI increases when a female's inbreeding decreases the viability of her offspring. Inbreeding females should therefore produce fewer offspring due to the fundamental trade-off between offspring number and PI. Accordingly, selection for inbreeding versus inbreeding avoidance changes when females can adjust PI with the degree that they inbreed. By contrast, optimal PI does not depend on whether a focal female is herself inbred. However, inbreeding causes optimal PI to increase given strict monogamy and associated biparental investment compared with female-only investment. Our model implies that understanding evolutionary dynamics of inbreeding strategy, inbreeding depression, and PI requires joint consideration of the expression of each in relation to the other. Overall, we demonstrate that existing PI and inbreeding theories represent special cases of a more general theory, implying that intrinsic links between inbreeding and PI affect evolution of behaviour and intrafamilial conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bradley Duthie
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Aline M Lee
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Jane M Reid
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
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14
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Lymbery SJ, Simmons LW. Males harm females less when competing with familiar relatives. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20171984. [PMID: 29142115 PMCID: PMC5719177 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual conflict occurs when reproductive partners have different fitness optima, and can lead to the evolution of traits in one sex that inflict fitness costs on the opposite sex. Recently, it has been proposed that antagonism by males towards females should be reduced when they compete with relatives, because reducing the future productivity of a female would result in an indirect fitness cost for a harmful male. We tested this prediction in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, the males of which harm females with genital spines and pre-copulatory harassment. We compared lifespan, lifetime egg production and lifetime offspring production among females housed with groups of males that varied in their familiarity and relatedness. Females produced significantly more eggs and offspring when grouped with males who were both related and familiar to each other. There was no effect of male relatedness or familiarity on female lifespan. Our results suggest that males plastically adjust their harmfulness towards females in response to changes in inclusive fitness payoffs, and that in this species both genetic relatedness and social familiarity mediate this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Lymbery
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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15
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Kuriwada T. Male–male courtship behaviour, not relatedness, affects the intensity of contest competition in the field cricket. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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16
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Łukasiewicz A, Szubert-Kruszyńska A, Radwan J. Kin selection promotes female productivity and cooperation between the sexes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1602262. [PMID: 28345048 PMCID: PMC5351977 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Hamilton's theory of kin selection explains the evolution of costly traits that benefit other individuals by highlighting the fact that passing genes to offspring is not the only way of increasing the representation of those genes in subsequent generations: Genes are also shared with other classes of relatives. Consequently, any heritable trait that affects fitness of relatives should respond to kin selection. We tested this core prediction of kin selection theory by letting bulb mites (Rhizoglyphus robini) evolve in populations structured into groups of relatives or nonrelatives during the reproductive phase of the life cycle. In accordance with predictions derived from kin selection theory, we found that evolution in groups of relatives resulted in increased female reproductive output. This increase at least partly results from the evolution of male traits that elevate their partners' fecundity. Our results highlight the power and universality of kin selection.
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17
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Faria GS, Varela SAM, Gardner A. Sexual selection modulates genetic conflicts and patterns of genomic imprinting. Evolution 2017; 71:526-540. [PMID: 27991659 PMCID: PMC5347858 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent years have seen a surge of interest in linking the theories of kin selection and sexual selection. In particular, there is a growing appreciation that kin selection, arising through demographic factors such as sex-biased dispersal, may modulate sexual conflicts, including in the context of male-female arms races characterized by coevolutionary cycles. However, evolutionary conflicts of interest need not only occur between individuals, but may also occur within individuals, and sex-specific demography is known to foment such intragenomic conflict in relation to social behavior. Whether and how this logic holds in the context of sexual conflict-and, in particular, in relation to coevolutionary cycles-remains obscure. We develop a kin-selection model to investigate the interests of different genes involved in sexual and intragenomic conflict, and we show that consideration of these conflicting interests yields novel predictions concerning parent-of-origin specific patterns of gene expression and the detrimental effects of different classes of mutation and epimutation at loci underpinning sexually selected phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo S. Faria
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsDyers Brae, St AndrewsKY16 9THUnited Kingdom
| | - Susana A. M. Varela
- cE3c—Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaCampo Grande1749‐016LisboaPortugal
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsDyers Brae, St AndrewsKY16 9THUnited Kingdom
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18
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Tan CKW, Doyle P, Bagshaw E, Richardson DS, Wigby S, Pizzari T. The contrasting role of male relatedness in different mechanisms of sexual selection in red junglefowl. Evolution 2017; 71:403-420. [PMID: 27925168 PMCID: PMC5324671 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In structured populations, competition for reproductive opportunities should be relaxed among related males. The few tests of this prediction often neglect the fact that sexual selection acts through multiple mechanisms, both before and after mating. We performed experiments to study the role of within-group male relatedness across pre- and postcopulatory mechanisms of sexual selection in social groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, in which two related males and one unrelated male competed over females unrelated to all the males. We confirm theoretical expectations that, after controlling for male social status, competition over mating was reduced among related males. However, this effect was contrasted by other sexual selection mechanisms. First, females biased male mating in favor of the unrelated male, and might also favor his inseminations after mating. Second, males invested more-rather than fewer-sperm in postcopulatory competition with relatives. A number of factors may contribute to explain this counterintuitive pattern of sperm allocation, including trade-offs between male investment in pre- versus postcopulatory competition, differences in the relative relatedness of pre- versus postcopulatory competitors, and female bias in sperm utilization in response to male relatedness. Collectively, these results reveal that within-group male relatedness may have contrasting effects in different mechanisms of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Kai Wei Tan
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Philippa Doyle
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Emma Bagshaw
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - David S. Richardson
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
| | - Stuart Wigby
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
| | - Tommaso Pizzari
- Department of ZoologyEdward Grey Institute, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3PSUnited Kingdom
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Martin ES, Long TAF. Are flies kind to kin? The role of intra- and inter-sexual relatedness in mediating reproductive conflict. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 282:20151991. [PMID: 26674954 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
As individual success often comes at the expense of others, interactions between the members of a species are frequently antagonistic, especially in the context of reproduction. In theory, this conflict may be reduced in magnitude when kin interact, as cooperative behaviour between relatives can result in increased inclusive fitness. Recent tests of the potential role of cooperative behaviour between brothers in Drosophila melanogaster have proved to be both exciting and controversial. We set out to replicate these experiments, which have profound implications for the study of kin selection and sexual conflict, and to expand upon them by also examining the potential role of kinship between males and females in reproductive interactions. While we did observe reduced fighting and courtship effort between competing brothers, contrary to previous studies we did not detect any fitness benefit to females as a result of the modification of male antagonistic behaviours. Furthermore, we did not observe any differential treatment of females by their brothers, as would be expected if the intensity of sexual conflict was mediated by kin selection. In the light of these results, we propose an alternative explanation for observed differences in male-male conflict and provide preliminary empirical support for this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily S Martin
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2 L 3C5
| | - Tristan A F Long
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2 L 3C5
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Pizzari T. The Wood-Gush legacy: A sociobiology perspective to fertility and welfare in chickens. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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