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Perdigón Ferreira J, Rohner PT, Lüpold S. Strongly sexually dimorphic forelegs are not more condition-dependent than less dimorphic traits in Drosophila prolongata. Evol Ecol 2023; 37:493-508. [PMID: 37152714 PMCID: PMC10156779 DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10226-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
AbstractDirectional sexual selection drives the evolution of traits that are most closely linked to reproductive success, giving rise to trait exaggeration and sexual dimorphism. Exaggerated structures are often costly and, therefore, thought to be expressed in a condition-dependent manner. Sexual selection theory thus predicts a direct link between directional sexual selection, sexual dimorphism, and sex-specific condition dependence. However, only a handful of studies investigate the relationship between sexual dimorphism and condition dependence. Using 21 genetic lines of Drosophila prolongata, we here compared the degree of sexual dimorphism and sex-specific condition dependence, measured as allometric slopes, in sexually selected and non-sexual traits. Our data revealed male-biased sexual dimorphism in all traits examined, most prominently in the sexually selected forelegs. However, there was no relationship between the degree of sex-specific condition dependence and sexual dimorphism across traits and genetic lines. Our results contradict theoretical predictions and highlight the importance of understanding the role of exaggerated traits in the context of both sexual and natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhoniel Perdigón Ferreira
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick T. Rohner
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 915 East Third Street, 102 Myers Hall, Bloomington, IN 47405 USA
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
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2
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Angell CS, Janacek R, Rundle HD. Maternal and paternal age effects on male antler flies: a field experiment. Am Nat 2021; 199:436-442. [DOI: 10.1086/718236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Li Q, Liu J, Dong B, Xiao R, Chen Z. Two sexes respond equally to food restriction in a sexually dimorphic but not body mass dimorphic jumping spider. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14033-14041. [PMID: 34707837 PMCID: PMC8525090 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural selection favors animals that evolve developmental and behavioral responses that buffer the negative effects of food restrictions. These buffering responses vary both between species and within species. Many studies have shown sex-specific responses to environmental changes, usually in species with sexual size dimorphism (SSD), less found in species with weak or no SSD, which suggests that sizes of different sexes are experiencing different selections. However, previous studies usually investigated development and behavior separately, and the balanced situation where males and females of sexually dimorphic species respond in the same way to food restriction remains little known. Here, we investigated this in Phintelloides versicolor (Salticidae) that presents sexual dimorphism in color and shape but weak SSD. We examined whether food restriction induced the same responses in males and females in development duration, adult body size and weight, daily time allocated to foraging, and hunting. We found food restriction induced similar responses in both sexes: both exhibited longer development duration, smaller adult body size and weight, higher probability of staying outside nests and noticing prey immediately, and higher hunting success. However, there were sexual differences regardless of food condition: females showed faster development, smaller adult body size, higher probability of staying outside of nests, and higher hunting success. These indicated the differential selection on male and female sizes of P. versicolor could be under a balanced situation, where males and females show equal developmental and behavioral plasticity to environmental constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Li
- Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous RegionInstitute of EntomologyGuizhou UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Jing‐Xin Liu
- Environmental Education CenterXishuangbanna Tropical Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesMenglaChina
| | - Bing Dong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest EcologyXishuangbanna Tropical Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesMenglaChina
| | - Rong Xiao
- Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous RegionInstitute of EntomologyGuizhou UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Zhanqi Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest EcologyXishuangbanna Tropical Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesMenglaChina
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4
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Angell CS, Oudin MJ, Rode NO, Mautz BS, Bonduriansky R, Rundle HD. Development time mediates the effect of larval diet on ageing and mating success of male antler flies in the wild. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201876. [PMID: 33143587 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
High-quality developmental environments often improve individual performance into adulthood, but allocating toward early life traits, such as growth, development rate and reproduction, may lead to trade-offs with late-life performance. It is, therefore, uncertain how a rich developmental environment will affect the ageing process (senescence), particularly in wild insects. To investigate the effects of early life environmental quality on insect life-history traits, including senescence, we reared larval antler flies (Protopiophila litigata) on four diets of varying nutrient concentration, then recorded survival and mating success of adult males released in the wild. Declining diet quality was associated with slower development, but had no effect on other life-history traits once development time was accounted for. Fast-developing males were larger and lived longer, but experienced more rapid senescence in survival and lower average mating rate compared to slow developers. Ultimately, larval diet, development time and body size did not predict lifetime mating success. Thus, a rich environment led to a mixture of apparent benefits and costs, mediated by development time. Our results indicate that 'silver spoon' effects can be complex and that development time mediates the response of adult life-history traits to early life environmental quality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mathieu J Oudin
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Nicolas O Rode
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Brian S Mautz
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Howard D Rundle
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
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Mautz BS, Rode NO, Bonduriansky R, Rundle HD. Comparing ageing and the effects of diet supplementation in wild vs. captive antler flies,
Protopiophila litigata. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1913-1924. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian S. Mautz
- Department of Biology University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada
| | | | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
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6
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Zinna R, Emlen D, Lavine LC, Johns A, Gotoh H, Niimi T, Dworkin I. Sexual dimorphism and heightened conditional expression in a sexually selected weapon in the Asian rhinoceros beetle. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:5049-5072. [PMID: 30357984 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Among the most dramatic examples of sexual selection are the weapons used in battles between rival males over access to females. As with ornaments of female choice, the most "exaggerated" sexually selected weapons vary from male to male more widely than other body parts (hypervariability), and their growth tends to be more sensitive to nutritional state or physiological condition compared with growth of other body parts ("heightened" conditional expression). Here, we use RNAseq analysis to build on recent work exploring these mechanisms in the exaggerated weapons of beetles, by examining patterns of differential gene expression in exaggerated (head and thorax horns) and non-exaggerated (wings, genitalia) traits in the Asian rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus. Our results suggest that sexually dimorphic expression of weaponry involves large-scale changes in gene expression, relative to other traits, while nutrition-driven changes in gene expression in these same weapons are less pronounced. However, although fewer genes overall were differentially expressed in high- vs. low-nutrition individuals, the number of differentially expressed genes varied predictably according to a trait's degree of condition dependence (head horn > thorax horn > wings > genitalia). Finally, we observed a high degree of similarity in direction of effects (vectors) for subsets of differentially expressed genes across both sexually dimorphic and nutritionally responsive growth. Our results are consistent with a common set of mechanisms governing sexual size dimorphism and condition dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Zinna
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Douglas Emlen
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laura C Lavine
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Annika Johns
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hiroki Gotoh
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Teruyuki Niimi
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ian Dworkin
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Rohner PT, Blanckenhorn WU. A Comparative Study of the Role of Sex-Specific Condition Dependence in the Evolution of Sexually Dimorphic Traits. Am Nat 2018; 192:E202-E215. [DOI: 10.1086/700096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Rohner PT, Teder T, Esperk T, Lüpold S, Blanckenhorn WU. The evolution of male‐biased sexual size dimorphism is associated with increased body size plasticity in males. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick T. Rohner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Tiit Teder
- Department of ZoologyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of Tartu Tartu Estonia
- Department of EcologyFaculty of Environmental SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences Prague Praha 6 – Suchdol Czech Republic
| | - Toomas Esperk
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Department of ZoologyInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesUniversity of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Wolf U. Blanckenhorn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
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Miller CW, McDonald GC, Moore AJ. The tale of the shrinking weapon: seasonal changes in nutrition affect weapon size and sexual dimorphism, but not contemporary evolution. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:2266-2275. [PMID: 27468122 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sexually selected traits are often highly variable in size within populations due to their close link with the physical condition of individuals. Nutrition has a large impact on physical condition, and thus, any seasonal changes in nutritional quality are predicted to alter the average size of sexually selected traits as well as the degree of sexual dimorphism in populations. However, although traits affected by mate choice are well studied, we have a surprising lack of knowledge of how natural variation in nutrition affects the expression of sexually selected weapons and sexual dimorphism. Further, few studies explicitly test for differences in the heritability and mean-scaled evolvability of sexually selected traits across conditions. We studied Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae), an insect where males use their hind legs as weapons and the femurs are enlarged, to understand the extent to which weapon expression, sexual dimorphism and evolvability change across the actual range of nutrition available in the wild. We found that insects raised on a poor diet (cactus without fruit) are nearly monomorphic, whereas those raised on a high-quality diet (cactus with ripe fruit) are distinctly sexually dimorphic via the expression of large hind leg weapons in males. Contrary to our expectations, we found little evidence of a potential for evolutionary change for any trait measured. Thus, although we show weapons are highly condition dependent, and changes in weapon expression and dimorphism could alter evolutionary dynamics, our populations are unlikely to experience further evolutionary changes under current conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- C W Miller
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - G C McDonald
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - A J Moore
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Sasson DA, Munoz PR, Gezan SA, Miller CW. Resource quality affects weapon and testis size and the ability of these traits to respond to selection in the leaf-footed cactus bug, Narnia femorata. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:2098-108. [PMID: 27066225 PMCID: PMC4768751 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The size of weapons and testes can be central to male reproductive success. Yet, the expression of these traits is often extremely variable. Studies are needed that take a more complete organism perspective, investigating the sources of variation in both traits simultaneously and using developmental conditions that mimic those in nature. In this study, we investigated the components of variation in weapon and testis sizes using the leaf-footed cactus bug, Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae) on three natural developmental diets. We show that the developmental diet has profound effects on both weapon and testis expression and scaling. Intriguingly, males in the medium-quality diet express large weapons but have relatively tiny testes, suggesting complex allocation decisions. We also find that heritability, evolvability, and additive genetic variation are highest in the high-quality diet for testis and body mass. This result suggests that these traits may have an enhanced ability to respond to selection during a small window of time each year when this diet is available. Taken together, these results illustrate that normal, seasonal fluctuations in the nutritional environment may play a large role in the expression of sexually selected traits and the ability of these traits to respond to selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Sasson
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience University of Florida 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd St. Augustine Florida 32080
| | - Patricio R Munoz
- Department of Agronomy University of Florida 2005 SW 23 St. Bldg 350 Gainesville Florida 32611
| | - Salvador A Gezan
- School of Forest Resources & Conservation University of Florida PO Box 110410 Gainesville Florida 32611
| | - Christine W Miller
- Entomology and Nematology Department University of Florida PO Box 110620 Gainesville Florida 32611
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