1
|
Boughman JW, Brand JA, Brooks RC, Bonduriansky R, Wong BBM. Sexual selection and speciation in the Anthropocene. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:654-665. [PMID: 38503640 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic change threatens global biodiversity by causing severe ecological disturbance and extinction. Here, we consider the effects of anthropogenic change on one process that generates biodiversity. Sexual selection (a potent evolutionary force and driver of speciation) is highly sensitive to the environment and, thus, vulnerable to anthropogenic ecological change. Anthropogenic alterations to sexual display and mate preference can make it harder to distinguish between conspecific and heterospecific mates or can weaken divergence via sexual selection, leading to higher rates of hybridization and biodiversity loss. Occasionally, anthropogenically altered sexual selection can abet diversification, but this appears less likely than biodiversity loss. In our rapidly changing world, a full understanding of sexual selection and speciation requires a global change perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Janette W Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology & Evolution, Ecology and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Jack A Brand
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia; Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Västerbotten, SE-907 36, Sweden
| | - Robert C Brooks
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zettlemoyer MA, Conner RJ, Seaver MM, Waddle E, DeMarche ML. A Long-Lived Alpine Perennial Advances Flowering under Warmer Conditions but Not Enough to Maintain Reproductive Success. Am Nat 2024; 203:E157-E174. [PMID: 38635358 DOI: 10.1086/729438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
AbstractAssessing whether phenological shifts in response to climate change confer a fitness advantage requires investigating the relationships among phenology, fitness, and environmental drivers of selection. Despite widely documented advancements in phenology with warming climate, we lack empirical estimates of how selection on phenology varies in response to continuous climate drivers or how phenological shifts in response to warming conditions affect fitness. We leverage an unusual long-term dataset with repeated, individual measurements of phenology and reproduction in a long-lived alpine plant. We analyze phenotypic plasticity in flowering phenology in relation to two climate drivers, snowmelt timing and growing degree days (GDDs). Plants flower earlier with increased GDDs and earlier snowmelt, and directional selection also favors earlier flowering under these conditions. However, reproduction still declines with warming and early snowmelt, even when flowering is early. Furthermore, the steepness of this reproductive decline increases dramatically with warming conditions, resulting in very little fruit production regardless of flowering time once GDDs exceed approximately 225 degree days or snowmelt occurs before May 15. Even though advancing phenology confers a fitness advantage relative to stasis, these shifts are insufficient to maintain reproduction under warming, highlighting limits to the potential benefits of phenological plasticity under climate change.
Collapse
|
3
|
Sacchi R, Mangiacotti M, Scali S, Storniolo F, Zuffi MAL. Species-Specific Spatial Patterns of Variation in Sexual Dimorphism by Two Lizards Settled in the Same Geographic Context. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040736. [PMID: 36830523 PMCID: PMC9952635 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of sexual dimorphism (SD) results from intricate interactions between sexual and natural selections. Sexually selected traits are expected to depend on individual condition, while natural selected traits should not be. Islands offer an ideal context to test how these drivers interact with one another, as the size is a reliable proxy for resource availability. Here, we analysed SD in body size (snout-vent length) and head shape (assessed by geometric morphometric) in two species of lizards (Podarcis muralis and P. siculus) inhabiting the Tuscan archipelago (Central Italy). We found a strong SD variation among islands in both species. Furthermore, in P. muralis emerged some significant correlations between SD and island size, supporting the occurrence of possible effects of individual condition on SD. By contrast, SD in P. siculus followed opposite trajectories than in P. muralis, suggesting that in this species, natural selection could play a major role as a driver of SD. Our findings show that natural and sexual selection can interact in complex ways, and the responses are species-specific. Therefore, spatial patterns of variation in SD may strongly differ among species, even when they settle in the same geographic contest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Marco Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano Scali
- Museo di Storia Naturale, Comune di Milano, I-20121 Milano, Italy
| | - Federico Storniolo
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Schang K, Garant R, Long TA. Phenotypic extremes or extreme phenotypes? On the use of large and small-bodied "phenocopied" Drosophila melanogaster males in studies of sexual selection and conflict. CURRENT RESEARCH IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 3:100052. [PMID: 36794123 PMCID: PMC9922682 DOI: 10.1016/j.cris.2023.100052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, variation in body size is influenced by a number of different factors and may be strongly associated with individual condition, performance and success in reproductive competitions. Consequently, intra-sexual variation in size in this model species has been frequently explored in order to better understand how sexual selection and sexual conflict may operate and shape evolutionary trajectories. However, measuring individual flies can often be logistically complicated and inefficient, which can result in limited sample sizes. Instead, many experiments use large and/or small body sizes that are created by manipulating the developmental conditions experienced during the larval stages, resulting in "phenocopied" flies whose phenotypes resemble what is seen at the extremes of a population's size distribution. While this practice is fairly common, there has been remarkedly few direct tests to empirically compare the behaviour or performance of phenocopied flies to similarly-sized individuals that grew up under typical developmental conditions. Contrary to assumptions that phenocopied flies are reasonable approximations, we found that both large and small-bodied phenocopied males frequently differed from their standard development equivalents in their mating frequencies, their lifetime reproductive successes, and in their effects on the fecundity of the females they interacted with. Our results highlight the complicated contributions of environment and genotype to the expression of body size phenotypes and lead us to strongly urge caution in the interpretation of studies solely replying upon phenocopied individuals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Schang
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Renée Garant
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Tristan A.F. Long
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hooper AK, Bonduriansky R. Effects of genetic vs. environmental quality on condition-dependent morphological and life history traits in a neriid fly. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:803-816. [PMID: 35514040 PMCID: PMC9325454 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14014] [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: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Condition is assumed to reflect both genes and environment, enabling condition‐dependent signals to reveal genetic quality. However, because the phenotypic effects of variation in genetic quality could be masked by environmental heterogeneity, the contribution of genetic quality to phenotypic variation in fitness‐related traits and condition‐dependent signals remains unclear. We compared effects of ecologically relevant manipulations of environmental quality (nutrient dilution in the larval diet) and genetic quality (one generation of inbreeding) on male and female morphology, life history and reproductive performance in the neriid fly Telostylinus angusticollis. We found that larval diet quality had strong, positive effects on male and female body size, male secondary sexual traits, and aspects of male and female reproductive performance. By contrast, inbreeding had weak effects on most traits, and no trait showed clear and consistent effects of both environmental and genetic quality. Indeed, inbreeding effects on body size and male competitive performance were of opposite sign in rich vs. poor larval diet treatment groups. Our results suggest that environmental quality strongly affects condition, but the effects of genetic quality are subtle and environment‐dependent in this species. These findings raise questions about the genetic architecture of condition and the potential for condition‐dependent traits to function as signals of genetic quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy K Hooper
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hopkins BR, Perry JC. The evolution of sex peptide: sexual conflict, cooperation, and coevolution. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1426-1448. [PMID: 35249265 PMCID: PMC9256762 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A central paradigm in evolutionary biology is that the fundamental divergence in the fitness interests of the sexes (‘sexual conflict’) can lead to both the evolution of sex‐specific traits that reduce fitness for individuals of the opposite sex, and sexually antagonistic coevolution between the sexes. However, clear examples of traits that evolved in this way – where a single trait in one sex demonstrably depresses the fitness of members of the opposite sex, resulting in antagonistic coevolution – are rare. The Drosophila seminal protein ‘sex peptide’ (SP) is perhaps the most widely cited example of a trait that appears to harm females while benefitting males. Transferred in the ejaculate by males during mating, SP triggers profound and wide‐ranging changes in female behaviour and physiology. Early studies reported that the transfer of SP enhances male fitness while depressing female fitness, providing the foundations for the widespread view that SP has evolved to manipulate females for male benefit. Here, we argue that this view is (i) a simplification of a wider body of contradictory empirical research, (ii) narrow with respect to theory describing the origin and maintenance of sexually selected traits, and (iii) hard to reconcile with what we know of the evolutionary history of SP's effects on females. We begin by charting the history of thought regarding SP, both at proximate (its production, function, and mechanism of action) and ultimate (its fitness consequences and evolutionary history) levels, reviewing how studies of SP were central to the development of the field of sexual conflict. We describe a prevailing paradigm for SP's evolution: that SP originated and continues to evolve to manipulate females for male benefit. In contrast to this view, we argue on three grounds that the weight of evidence does not support the view that receipt of SP decreases female fitness: (i) results from studies of SP's impact on female fitness are mixed and more often neutral or positive, with fitness costs emerging only under nutritional extremes; (ii) whether costs from SP are appreciable in wild‐living populations remains untested; and (iii) recently described confounds in genetic manipulations of SP raise the possibility that measures of the costs and benefits of SP have been distorted. Beyond SP's fitness effects, comparative and genetic data are also difficult to square with the idea that females suffer fitness costs from SP. Instead, these data – from functional and evolutionary genetics and the neural circuitry of female responses to SP – suggest an evolutionary history involving the evolution of a dedicated SP‐sensing apparatus in the female reproductive tract that is likely to have evolved because it benefits females, rather than harms them. We end by exploring theory and evidence that SP benefits females by functioning as a signal of male quality or of sperm receipt and storage (or both). The expanded view of the evolution of SP that we outline recognises the context‐dependent and fluctuating roles played by both cooperative and antagonistic selection in the origin and maintenance of reproductive traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ben R. Hopkins
- Department of Evolution and Ecology University of California – Davis One Shields Avenue Davis CA 95616 U.S.A
| | - Jennifer C. Perry
- School of Biological Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ U.K
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
White TE, Locke A, Latty T. Heightened condition dependent expression of structural coloration in the faces, but not wings, of male and female flies. Curr Zool 2021; 68:600-607. [PMID: 36324536 PMCID: PMC9616059 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Structurally colored sexual signals are a conspicuous and widespread class of ornament used in mate choice, though the extent to which they encode information on the quality of their bearers is not fully resolved. Theory predicts that signaling traits under strong sexual selection as honest indicators should evolve to be more developmentally integrated and exaggerated than nonsexual traits, thereby leading to heightened condition dependence. Here, we test this prediction through examination of the sexually dimorphic faces and wings of the cursorial fly Lispe cana. Males and females possess structural UV-white and golden faces, respectively, and males present their faces and wings to females during close-range, ground-based courtship displays, thereby creating the opportunity for mutual inspection. Across a field-collected sample of individuals, we found that the appearance of the faces of both sexes scaled positively with individual condition, though along separate axes. Males in better condition expressed brighter faces as modeled according to conspecific flies, whereas condition scaled with facial saturation in females. We found no such relationships for their wing interference pattern nor abdomens, with the latter included as a nonsexual control. Our results suggest that the structurally colored faces, but not the iridescent wings, of male and female L. cana are reliable guides to individual quality and support the broader potential for structural colors as honest signals. They also highlight the potential for mutual mate choice in this system, while arguing for 1 of several alternate signaling roles for wing interferences patterns among the myriad taxa which bear them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2106, Australia
| | - Amy Locke
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2106, Australia
| | - Tanya Latty
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2106, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Saleh NW, Hodgson K, Pokorny T, Mullins A, Chouvenc T, Eltz T, Ramírez SR. Social Behavior, Ovary Size, and Population of Origin Influence Cuticular Hydrocarbons in the Orchid Bee Euglossa dilemma. Am Nat 2021; 198:E136-E151. [PMID: 34648396 DOI: 10.1086/716511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are waxy compounds on the surface of insects that prevent desiccation and frequently serve as chemical signals mediating social and mating behaviors. Although their function in eusocial species has been heavily investigated, little is known about the evolution of CHC-based communication in species with simpler forms of social organization lacking specialized castes. Here we investigate factors shaping CHC variation in the orchid bee Euglossa dilemma, which forms casteless social groups of two to three individuals. We first assess geographic variation, examining CHC profiles of males and females from three populations. We also consider CHC variation in the sister species, Euglossa viridissima, which occurs sympatrically with one population of E. dilemma. Next, we consider variation associated with female behavioral phases, to test the hypothesis that CHCs reflect ovary size and social dominance. We uncover a striking CHC polymorphism in E. dilemma spanning populations. In addition, we identify a separate set of CHCs that correlate with ovary size, social dominance, and expression of genes associated with social behavior, suggesting that CHCs convey reproductive and social information in E. dilemma. Together, our results reveal complex patterns of variation in which a subset of CHCs reflect the social and reproductive status of nestmates.
Collapse
|
9
|
Macartney EL, Zeender V, Meena A, De Nardo AN, Bonduriansky R, Lüpold S. Sperm depletion in relation to developmental nutrition and genotype in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution 2021; 75:2830-2841. [PMID: 34617270 PMCID: PMC9297908 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Nutrient limitation during development can restrict the ability of adults to invest in costly fitness traits, and genotypes can vary in their sensitivity to developmental nutrition. However, little is known about how genotype and nutrition affect male ability to maintain ejaculate allocation and achieve fertilization across successive matings. Using 17 isogenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster, we investigated how variation in developmental nutrition affects males' abilities to mate, transfer sperm, and sire offspring when presented with successive virgin females. We found that, with each successive mating, males required longer to initiate copulation, transferred fewer sperm, and sired fewer offspring. Males reared on a low-nutrient diet transferred fewer sperm than those reared on nutritionally superior diets, but the rate at which males depleted their sperm, as well as their reproductive performance, was largely independent of diet. Genotype and the genotype × diet interaction explained little of the variation in these male reproductive traits. Our results show that sperm depletion can occur rapidly and impose substantial fitness costs for D. melanogaster males across multiple genotypes and developmental environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin L Macartney
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Valérian Zeender
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Abhishek Meena
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, Mohali, 140306, India
| | - Alessio N De Nardo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wylde Z, Bonduriansky R. A comparison of two methods for estimating measurement repeatability in morphometric studies. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:763-770. [PMID: 33520164 PMCID: PMC7820162 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Measurement repeatability is often reported in morphometric studies as an index of the contribution of measurement error to trait measurements. However, the common method of remeasuring a mounted specimen fails to capture some components of measurement error and could therefore yield inflated repeatability estimates. Remounting specimens between successive measurements is likely to provide more realistic estimates of repeatability, particularly for structures that are difficult to measure.Using measurements of 22 somatic and genitalic traits of the neriid fly Telostylinus angusticollis, we compared repeatability estimates obtained via remeasurement of a specimen that is mounted once (single-mounted method) versus remeasurement of a specimen that is remounted between measurements (remounted method). We also asked whether the difference in repeatability estimates obtained via the two methods depends on trait size, trait type (somatic vs. genitalic), sclerotization, or sex.Repeatability estimates obtained via the remounted method were lower than estimates obtained via the single-mounted method for each of the 22 traits, and the difference between estimates obtained via the two methods was generally greater for small structures (such as genitalic traits) than for large structures (such as legs and wings). However, the difference between estimates obtained via the two methods did not depend on trait type (genitalic or somatic), tissue type (soft or sclerotized) or sex.Remounting specimens between successive measurements can provide more accurate estimates of measurement repeatability than remeasuring from a single mount, especially for small structures that are difficult to measure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zachariah Wylde
- Evolution and Ecology Research CentreSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution and Ecology Research CentreSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNSWAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Wylde Z, Adler L, Crean A, Bonduriansky R. Perceived dominance status affects chemical signalling in the neriid fly Telostylinus angusticollis. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
12
|
Sharp NP, Whitlock MC. No evidence of positive assortative mating for genetic quality in fruit flies. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191474. [PMID: 31575372 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In sexual populations, the effectiveness of selection will depend on how gametes combine with respect to genetic quality. If gametes with deleterious alleles are likely to combine with one another, deleterious genetic variation can be more easily purged by selection. Assortative mating, where there is a positive correlation between parents in a phenotype of interest such as body size, is often observed in nature, but does not necessarily reveal how gametes ultimately combine with respect to genetic quality itself. We manipulated genetic quality in fruit fly populations using an inbreeding scheme designed to provide an unbiased measure of mating patterns. While inbred flies had substantially reduced reproductive success, their gametes did not combine with those of other inbred flies more often than expected by chance, indicating a lack of positive assortative mating. Instead, we detected a negative correlation in genetic quality between parents, i.e. disassortative mating, which diminished with age. This pattern is expected to reduce the genetic variance for fitness, diminishing the effectiveness of selection. We discuss how mechanisms of sexual selection could produce a pattern of disassortative mating. Our study highlights that sexual selection has the potential to either increase or decrease genetic load.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel P Sharp
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4.,Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Michael C Whitlock
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Malacrinò A, Kimber CM, Brengdahl M, Friberg U. Heightened condition-dependence of the sexual transcriptome as a function of genetic quality in Drosophila melanogaster head tissue. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190819. [PMID: 31288700 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Theory suggests sexual traits should show heightened condition-dependent expression. This prediction has been tested extensively in experiments where condition has been manipulated through environmental quality. Condition-dependence as a function of genetic quality has, however, only rarely been addressed, despite its central importance in evolutionary theory. To address the effect of genetic quality on expression of sexual and non-sexual traits, we here compare gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster head tissue between flies with intact genomes (high condition) and flies carrying a major deleterious mutation (low condition). We find that sex-biased genes show heightened condition-dependent expression in both sexes, and that expression in low condition males and females regresses towards a more similar expression profile. As predicted, sex-biased expression was more sensitive to condition in males compared to females, but surprisingly female-biased, rather than male-biased, genes show higher sensitivity to condition in both sexes. Our results thus support the fundamental predictions of the theory of condition-dependence when condition is a function of genetic quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Malacrinò
- 1 IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University , 581 83 Linköping , Sweden.,2 Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University , Columbus, OH 43210 , USA
| | - Christopher M Kimber
- 1 IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University , 581 83 Linköping , Sweden
| | - Martin Brengdahl
- 1 IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University , 581 83 Linköping , Sweden
| | - Urban Friberg
- 1 IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University , 581 83 Linköping , Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Howie JM, Dawson HAC, Pomiankowski A, Fowler K. Limits to environmental masking of genetic quality in sexual signals. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:868-877. [PMID: 31134703 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
There is considerable debate over the value of male sexual ornaments as signals of genetic quality. Studies alternately report that environmental variation enhances or diminishes the genetic signal, or leads to crossover where genotypes perform well in one environment but poorly in another. A unified understanding is lacking. We conduct a novel experimental test examining the dual effects of distinct categories of genetic (inbred vs. crossed parental lines) and environmental quality (low, through high to extreme larval food stress) on a condition-dependent male ornament. We find that differences in genetic quality signalled by the ornament (male eyespan in Diasemopsis meigenii stalk-eyed flies) become visible and are amplified under high stress but are overwhelmed in extreme-stress environments. Variance among independent genetic lines increases with environmental stress in both genetic quality classes, but at a slower rate in high quality outcrossed flies. Individual genetic lines generally maintain their ranks across environments, except among high quality lines under low environmental stress, where low genetic variance among lines precludes differentiation between ranks. Our results provide a conceptual advance, demonstrating a unified pattern for how genetic and environmental quality interact. They show when environmental conditions lead to the amplification of differences in signals of genetic quality and thereby enhance the potential indirect genetic benefits gained by female mate choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James Malcolm Howie
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.,Institute of Population Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Andrew Pomiankowski
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.,CoMPLEX, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kevin Fowler
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Leftwich PT, Nash WJ, Friend LA, Chapman T. Contribution of maternal effects to dietary selection in Mediterranean fruit flies. Evolution 2019; 73:278-292. [PMID: 30592536 PMCID: PMC6492002 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Individual responses to dietary variation represent a fundamental component of fitness, and nutritional adaptation can occur over just a few generations. Maternal effects can show marked proximate responses to nutrition, but whether they contribute to longer term dietary adaptation is unclear. Here, we tested the hypotheses that maternal effects: (i) contribute to dietary adaptation, (ii) diminish when dietary conditions are constant between generations, (iii) are trait-specific and (iv) interact with high- and low-quality food. We used experimental evolution regimes in the medfly (Ceratitis capitata) to test these predictions by subjecting an outbred laboratory-adapted population to replicated experimental evolution on either constant high calorie sugar ('A') or low-calorie starch ('S') larval diets, with a standard adult diet across both regimes. We measured the contribution of maternal effects by comparing developmental and adult phenotypes of individuals reared on their own diet with those swapped onto the opposite diet for either one or two generations (high and low maternal effect conditions, respectively), both at the start and after 30 generations of selection. Initially, there were strong maternal effects on female body mass and male mating success but not larval survival. Interestingly, the initial maternal effects observed in female body mass and male mating success showed sex-specific interactions when individuals from high calorie regimes were tested on low calorie diets. However, as populations responded to selection, the effects of maternal provisioning on all traits diminished. The results broadly supported the predictions. They show how the contribution of maternal effects to dietary responses evolves in a context-dependent manner, with significant variation across different fitness-related traits. We conclude that maternal effects can evolve during nutritional adaptation and hence may be an important life history trait to measure, rather than to routinely minimize.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip T. Leftwich
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
- The Pirbright InstituteWokingSurreyGU24 0NFUnited Kingdom
| | - William J. Nash
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
- Evolutionary Genomics GroupEarlham InstituteNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7UZUnited Kingdom
| | - Lucy A. Friend
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwich Research ParkNorwichNR4 7TJUnited Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
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]
|
17
|
Brengdahl M, Kimber CM, Maguire-Baxter J, Malacrinò A, Friberg U. Genetic Quality Affects the Rate of Male and Female Reproductive Aging Differently in Drosophila melanogaster. Am Nat 2018; 192:761-772. [DOI: 10.1086/700117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
18
|
Berson JD, Simmons LW. A costly chemical trait: phenotypic condition dependence of cuticular hydrocarbons in a dung beetle. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1772-1781. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D. Berson
- School of Biological Sciences Centre for Evolutionary Biology The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- School of Biological Sciences Centre for Evolutionary Biology The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Females’ sequential mating decisions depend on both the quality of the courting male and the quality of the potential mates in a blood-sucking bug. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2560-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
20
|
Bonduriansky R, Crean AJ. What are parental condition‐transfer effects and how can they be detected? Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Australia Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Angela J. Crean
- Animal Reproduction Group School of Life and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Science University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Booksmythe I, Rundle HD, Arnqvist G. Sexual dimorphism in epicuticular compounds despite similar sexual selection in sex role-reversed seed beetles. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:2005-2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- I. Booksmythe
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
| | - H. D. Rundle
- Department of Biology; University of Ottawa; Ottawa ON Canada
| | - G. Arnqvist
- Department of Animal Ecology; Evolutionary Biology Centre; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Vaníčková L, Nagy R, Pompeiano A, Kalinová B. Epicuticular chemistry reinforces the new taxonomic classification of the Bactrocera dorsalis species complex (Diptera: Tephritidae, Dacinae). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184102. [PMID: 28873446 PMCID: PMC5584755 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White, Bactrocera papayae Drew & Hancock, and Bactrocera philippinensis Drew & Hancock, key pest species within the Bactrocera dorsalis species complex, have been recently synonymized under the name Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). The closely related Bactrocera carambolae Drew & Hancock remains as a discrete taxonomic entity. Although the synonymizations have been accepted by most researchers, debate about the species limits remains. Because of the economic importance of this group of taxa, any new information available to support or deny the synonymizations is valuable. We investigated the chemical epicuticle composition of males and females of B. dorsalis, B. invadens, B. papayae, B. philippinensis, and B. carambolae by means of one- and two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, followed by multiple factor analyses and principal component analysis. Clear segregation of complex cuticule profiles of both B. carambolae sexes from B. dorsalis (Hendel) was observed. In addition to cuticular hydrocarbons, abundant complex mixtures of sex-specific oxygenated lipids (three fatty acids and 22 fatty acid esters) with so far unknown function were identified in epicuticle extracts from females of all species. The data obtained supports both taxonomic synonymization of B. invadens, B. papayae, and B. philippinensis with B. dorsalis, as well as the exclusion of B. carambolae from B. dorsalis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Vaníčková
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radka Nagy
- Laboratory of Infochemicals, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Antonio Pompeiano
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Blanka Kalinová
- Laboratory of Infochemicals, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Austen EJ, Rowe L, Stinchcombe JR, Forrest JRK. Explaining the apparent paradox of persistent selection for early flowering. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 215:929-934. [PMID: 28418161 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Decades of observation in natural plant populations have revealed pervasive phenotypic selection for early flowering onset. This consistent pattern seems at odds with life-history theory, which predicts stabilizing selection on age and size at reproduction. Why is selection for later flowering rare? Moreover, extensive evidence demonstrates that flowering time can and does evolve. What maintains ongoing directional selection for early flowering? Several non-mutually exclusive processes can help to reconcile the apparent paradox of selection for early flowering. We outline four: selection through other fitness components may counter observed fecundity selection for early flowering; asymmetry in the flowering-time-fitness function may make selection for later flowering hard to detect; flowering time and fitness may be condition-dependent; and selection on flowering duration is largely unaccounted for. In this Viewpoint, we develop these four mechanisms, and highlight areas where further study will improve our understanding of flowering-time evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Austen
- Biology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Locke Rowe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S3B2, Canada
| | - John R Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S3B2, Canada
- Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker's Hill, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, L7B 1K5, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Forstmeier W, Ihle M, Opatová P, Martin K, Knief U, Albrechtová J, Albrecht T, Kempenaers B. Testing the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis in the presence and absence of inbreeding. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:968-976. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- W. Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - M. Ihle
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - P. Opatová
- Department of Botany and Zoology; Faculty of Science; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
- External Research Facility Studenec; Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Czech Academy of Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
| | - K. Martin
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - U. Knief
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - J. Albrechtová
- External Research Facility Studenec; Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Czech Academy of Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; Charles University; Prague Czech Republic
| | - T. Albrecht
- External Research Facility Studenec; Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Czech Academy of Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; Charles University; Prague Czech Republic
| | - B. Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Friesen CR, Wilson MR, Rollings N, Sudyka J, Whittington CM, Giraudeau M, Olsson M. Conditional Handicaps in Exuberant Lizards: Bright Color in Aggressive Males Is Correlated with High Levels of Free Radicals. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
|
26
|
Hooper AK, Spagopoulou F, Wylde Z, Maklakov AA, Bonduriansky R. Ontogenetic timing as a condition‐dependent life history trait: High‐condition males develop quickly, peak early, and age fast. Evolution 2017; 71:671-685. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy K. Hooper
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Foteini Spagopoulou
- Ageing Research Group, Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Zachariah Wylde
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Alexei A. Maklakov
- Ageing Research Group, Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Mate choice in fruit flies is rational and adaptive. Nat Commun 2017; 8:13953. [PMID: 28094789 PMCID: PMC5247575 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
According to rational choice theory, beneficial preferences should lead individuals to sort available options into linear, transitive hierarchies, although the extent to which non-human animals behave rationally is unclear. Here we demonstrate that mate choice in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster results in the linear sorting of a set of diverse isogenic female lines, unambiguously demonstrating the hallmark of rational behaviour, transitivity. These rational choices are associated with direct benefits, enabling males to maximize offspring production. Furthermore, we demonstrate that female behaviours and cues act redundantly in mate detection and assessment, as rational mate choice largely persists when visual or chemical sensory modalities are impaired, but not when both are impaired. Transitivity in mate choice demonstrates that the quality of potential mates varies significantly among genotypes, and that males and females behave in such a way as to facilitate adaptive mate choice. A characteristic of rational behaviour is that it is transitive, such that preferences are ranked in a strict linear order. Here, Arbuthnott and colleagues show that mate choice in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is transitive at the population level and that preferred mates produce more offspring.
Collapse
|
28
|
Pierotti MER, Martín‐Fernández JA, Barceló‐Vidal C. The peril of proportions: robust niche indices for categorical data. Methods Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michele E. R. Pierotti
- Department of Biology North Carolina Center of Biodiversity East Carolina University Howell Science 551 Greenville NC 27858 USA
| | - Josep A. Martín‐Fernández
- Department of Computer Science Applied Mathematics and Statistics University of Girona Campus Montilivi Edifici P4 E‐17003 Girona Spain
| | - Carles Barceló‐Vidal
- Department of Computer Science Applied Mathematics and Statistics University of Girona Campus Montilivi Edifici P4 E‐17003 Girona Spain
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Xiao S, Xia L. Quantity versus quality: the sperm war. Asian J Androl 2016; 18:900-901. [PMID: 27506335 PMCID: PMC5109884 DOI: 10.4103/1008-682x.185849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of sperm traits manifests itself prolifically across species, and postcopulatory sexual selection (PSS), as executed by the female, accompanies this process. The adaptive significance of some sperm traits (for example, the shape and number of sperms) is well understood. However, the evolution of germ size has not been fully exploited. The most recent study by Lüpold et al.1 reveals that the evolution of longer sperm is driven by the female seminal receptacle and mating frequency in Drosophila, which, in turn, increases the benefits to females. These findings provide a comprehensive interpretation regarding the evolution of sperm size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shan Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Zebrafish Modeling and Drug Screening for Human Diseases of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Laixin Xia
- Key Laboratory of Zebrafish Modeling and Drug Screening for Human Diseases of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Lüpold S, Manier MK, Puniamoorthy N, Schoff C, Starmer WT, Luepold SHB, Belote JM, Pitnick S. How sexual selection can drive the evolution of costly sperm ornamentation. Nature 2016; 533:535-8. [PMID: 27225128 DOI: 10.1038/nature18005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Post-copulatory sexual selection (PSS), fuelled by female promiscuity, is credited with the rapid evolution of sperm quality traits across diverse taxa. Yet, our understanding of the adaptive significance of sperm ornaments and the cryptic female preferences driving their evolution is extremely limited. Here we review the evolutionary allometry of exaggerated sexual traits (for example, antlers, horns, tail feathers, mandibles and dewlaps), show that the giant sperm of some Drosophila species are possibly the most extreme ornaments in all of nature and demonstrate how their existence challenges theories explaining the intensity of sexual selection, mating-system evolution and the fundamental nature of sex differences. We also combine quantitative genetic analyses of interacting sex-specific traits in D. melanogaster with comparative analyses of the condition dependence of male and female reproductive potential across species with varying ornament size to reveal complex dynamics that may underlie sperm-length evolution. Our results suggest that producing few gigantic sperm evolved by (1) Fisherian runaway selection mediated by genetic correlations between sperm length, the female preference for long sperm and female mating frequency, and (2) longer sperm increasing the indirect benefits to females. Our results also suggest that the developmental integration of sperm quality and quantity renders post-copulatory sexual selection on ejaculates unlikely to treat male-male competition and female choice as discrete processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Lüpold
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mollie K Manier
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Suite 6000, Washington DC 20052, USA
| | - Nalini Puniamoorthy
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive, SG 117543, Singapore
| | - Christopher Schoff
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA
| | - William T Starmer
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA
| | - Shannon H Buckley Luepold
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA
| | - John M Belote
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA
| | - Scott Pitnick
- Center for Reproductive Evolution, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, New York 13244-1270, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Humphreys DP, Rundle HD, Dyer KA. Patterns of reproductive isolation in the Drosophila subquinaria complex: can reinforced premating isolation cascade to other species? Curr Zool 2016; 62:183-191. [PMID: 29491905 PMCID: PMC5804228 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zow005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The reinforcement of premating barriers due to reduced hybrid fitness in sympatry may cause secondary sexual isolation within a species as a by-product. Consistent with this, in the fly Drosophila subquinaria, females that are sympatric with D. recens mate at very low rates not only with D. recens, but also with conspecific D. subquinaria males from allopatry. Here, we ask if these effects of reinforcement cascade more broadly to affect sexual isolation with other closely related species. We assay reproductive isolation of these species with D. transversa and find that choosy D. subquinaria females from the region sympatric with D. recens discriminate strongly against male D. transversa, whereas D. subquinaria from the allopatric region do not. This increased sexual isolation cannot be explained by natural selection to avoid mating with this species, as they are allopatric in geographic range and we do not identify any intrinsic postzygotic isolation between D. subquinaria and D. transversa. Variation in epicuticular hydrocarbons, which are used as mating signals in D. subquinaria, follow patterns of premating isolation: D. transversa and allopatric D. subquinaria are most similar to each other and differ from sympatric D. subquinaria, and those of D. recens are distinct from the other two species. We suggest that the secondary effects of reinforcement may cascade to strengthen reproductive isolation with other species that were not a target of selection. These effects may enhance the divergence that occurs in allopatry to help explain why some species are already sexually isolated upon secondary contact.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Devon P Humphreys
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Howard D Rundle
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5; Canada
| | - Kelly A Dyer
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Affiliation(s)
- Melvin M. Bonilla
- Department of Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNVUSA
- Department of Environmental Health, T.H. Chan School of Public HealthHarvard UniversityBostonMAUSA
| | - Jeanne A. Zeh
- Department of Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNVUSA
| | - David W. Zeh
- Department of Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation BiologyUniversity of NevadaRenoNVUSA
| |
Collapse
|