1
|
Bailey NW, Desjonquères C. The Indirect Genetic Effect Interaction Coefficient ψ: Theoretically Essential and Empirically Neglected. J Hered 2022; 113:79-90. [PMID: 34791332 PMCID: PMC8851666 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction effect coefficient ψ has been a much-discussed, fundamental parameter of indirect genetic effect (IGE) models since its formal mathematical description in 1997. The coefficient simultaneously describes the form of changes in trait expression caused by genes in the social environment and predicts the evolutionary consequences of those IGEs. Here, we report a striking mismatch between theoretical emphasis on ψ and its usage in empirical studies. Surveying all IGE research, we find that the coefficient ψ has not been equivalently conceptualized across studies. Several issues related to its proper empirical measurement have recently been raised, and these may severely distort interpretations about the evolutionary consequences of IGEs. We provide practical advice on avoiding such pitfalls. The majority of empirical IGE studies use an alternative variance-partitioning approach rooted in well-established statistical quantitative genetics, but several hundred estimates of ψ (from 15 studies) have been published. A significant majority are positive. In addition, IGEs with feedback, that is, involving the same trait in both interacting partners, are far more likely to be positive and of greater magnitude. Although potentially challenging to measure without bias, ψ has critically-developed theoretical underpinnings that provide unique advantages for empirical work. We advocate for a shift in perspective for empirical work, from ψ as a description of IGEs, to ψ as a robust predictor of evolutionary change. Approaches that "run evolution forward" can take advantage of ψ to provide falsifiable predictions about specific trait interactions, providing much-needed insight into the evolutionary consequences of IGEs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Camille Desjonquères
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Roberts NS, Mendelson TC. Reinforcement in the banded darter Etheostoma zonale: The effect of sex and sympatry on preferences. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2499-2512. [PMID: 32184997 PMCID: PMC7069321 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6076] [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: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Reinforcement occurs when selection against hybrid offspring strengthens behavioral isolation between parental species and may be an important factor in speciation. Theoretical models and experimental evidence indicate that both female and male preferences can be strengthened upon secondary contact via reinforcement. However, the question remains whether this process is more likely to affect the preferences of one sex or the other. Males of polygynous species are often predicted to exhibit weaker preferences than females, potentially limiting the ability for reinforcement to shape male preferences. Yet, in darters (Percidae: Etheostoma), male preference for conspecific mates appears to arise before female preferences during the early stages of allopatric speciation, and research suggests that male, but not female, preferences become reinforced upon secondary contact. In the current study, we aimed to determine whether the geographically widespread darter species Etheostoma zonale exhibits a signature of reinforcement, by comparing the strength of preference for conspecific mates between populations that are sympatric and allopatric with respect to a close congener, E. barrenense. We examined the strength of preference for conspecifics for males and females separately to determine whether the preferences of one or both sexes have been strengthened by reinforcement. Our results show that both sexes of E. zonale from sympatric populations exhibit stronger conspecific preferences than E. zonale from allopatric populations, but that female preferences appear to be more strongly reinforced than male preferences. Results therefore suggest that reinforcement of female preferences may promote behavioral isolation upon secondary contact, even in a genus that is characterized by pervasive male mate choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie S. Roberts
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Tamra C. Mendelson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyBaltimoreMDUSA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Marie-Orleach L, Sanz AM, Bailey NW, Ritchie MG. Does the response of D. melanogaster males to intrasexual competitors influence sexual isolation? Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe evolutionary consequences of phenotypic plasticity are debated. For example, reproductive barriers between incipient species can depend on the social environment, but most evidence for this comes from studies focusing on the effects of experiencing heterospecific individuals of the opposite sex. In Drosophila melanogaster, males are well known to invest strategically in ejaculate components and show different courtship behavior when reared in the presence of male competitors. It is unknown whether such plasticity in response to same-sex social experience influences sexual isolation, so we tested this using African and cosmopolitan lines, which show partial sexual isolation. Males were housed in social isolation, with homopopulation, or with heteropopulation male partners. We then measured their mating success, latency, and duration, their paternity share, and female remating success. Isolated males copulated for a shorter duration than males housed with any male partners. However, we found no difference in any measure between homopopulation or heteropopulation treatments. Our findings suggest that the male intrasexual competitive social environment does not strongly influence sexual isolation in D. melanogaster, and that plastic effects on reproductive isolation may be influenced more strongly by the experience of social isolation than by the composition of individuals within different social environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Marie-Orleach
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- CNRS, Université de Rennes 1, ECOBIO (Écosystèmes, Biodiversité, Évolution)—UMR 6553, Rennes, France
| | - Annui M Sanz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Nathan W Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Michael G Ritchie
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dion E, Pui LX, Weber K, Monteiro A. Early-exposure to new sex pheromone blends alters mate preference in female butterflies and in their offspring. Nat Commun 2020; 11:53. [PMID: 31896746 PMCID: PMC6940390 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13801-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
While the diversity of sex pheromone communication systems across insects is well documented, the mechanisms that lead to such diversity are not well understood. Sex pheromones constitute a species-specific system of sexual communication that reinforces interspecific reproductive isolation. When odor blends evolve, the efficacy of male-female communication becomes compromised, unless preference for novel blends also evolves. We explore odor learning as a possible mechanism leading to changes in sex pheromone preferences in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Our experiments reveal mating patterns suggesting that mating bias for new blends can develop following a short learning experience, and that this maternal experience impacts the mating outcome of offspring without further exposure. We propose that odor learning can be a key factor in the evolution of sex pheromone blend recognition and in chemosensory speciation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Dion
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
| | - Li Xian Pui
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Katie Weber
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Antónia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
- Yale-NUS-College, 6 College Avenue East, Singapore, 138614, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Yukilevich R, Peterson EK. The evolution of male and female mating preferences in Drosophila speciation. Evolution 2019; 73:1759-1773. [PMID: 31077339 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13752] [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: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The relative importance of male and female mating preferences in causing sexual isolation between species remains a major unresolved question in speciation. Despite previous work showing that male courtship bias and/or female copulation bias for conspecifics occur in many taxa, the present study is one of the first large-scale works to study their relative divergence. To achieve this, we used data from the literature and present experiments across 66 Drosophila species pairs. Our results revealed that male and female mate preferences are both ubiquitous in Drosophila but evolved largely independently, suggesting different underlying evolutionary and genetic mechanisms. Moreover, their relative divergence strongly depends on the geographical relationship of species. Between allopatric species, male courtship and female copulation preferences diverged at very similar rates, evolving approximately linearly with time of divergence. In sharp contrast, between sympatric species pairs, female preferences diverged much more rapidly than male preferences and were the only drivers of enhanced sexual isolation in sympatry and Reproductive Character Displacement (RCD). Not only does this result suggest that females are primarily responsible for such processes as reinforcement, but it also implies that evolved female preferences may reduce selection for further divergence of male courtship preferences in sympatry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roman Yukilevich
- Department of Biology, Union College, Schenectady, New York, 12308
| | - Elizabeth K Peterson
- Department of Biology, Union College, Schenectady, New York, 12308.,Current Address: Department of Biology and Communities to Build Active STEM Engagement, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Pueblo, Colorado
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Dion E, Monteiro A, Nieberding CM. The Role of Learning on Insect and Spider Sexual Behaviors, Sexual Trait Evolution, and Speciation. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
7
|
Marie‐Orleach L, Bailey NW, Ritchie MG. Social effects on fruit fly courtship song. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:410-416. [PMID: 30680123 PMCID: PMC6342107 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Courtship behavior in Drosophila has often been described as a classic innate behavioral repertoire, but more recently extensive plasticity has been described. In particular, prior exposure to acoustic signals of con- or heterspecific males can change courtship traits in both sexes that are liable to be important in reproductive isolation. However, it is unknown whether male courtship song itself is socially plastic. We examined courtship song plasticity of two species in the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup. Sexual isolation between the species is influenced by two male song traits, the interpulse interval (IPI) and sinesong frequency (SSF). Neither of these showed plasticity when males had prior experience of con- and heterospecific social partners. However, males of both species produced longer bursts of song during courtship when they were exposed to social partners (either con- or heterospecific) than when they were reared in isolation. D. melanogaster carrying mutations affecting short- or medium-term memory showed a similar response to the social environment, not supporting a role for learning. Our results demonstrate that the amount of song a male produces during courtship is plastic depending on the social environment, which might reflect the advantage of being able to respond to variation in intrasexual competition, but that song structure itself is relatively inflexible, perhaps due to strong selection against hybridization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Marie‐Orleach
- School of Biology, Centre for Biological DiversityUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
| | - Nathan W. Bailey
- School of Biology, Centre for Biological DiversityUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
| | - Michael G. Ritchie
- School of Biology, Centre for Biological DiversityUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Yeh DJ, Boughman JW, Saetre GP, Servedio MR. The evolution of sexual imprinting through reinforcement. Evolution 2018; 72:1336-1349. [PMID: 29741268 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Reinforcement is the process whereby assortative mating evolves due to selection against costly hybridization. Sexual imprinting could evolve as a mechanism of reinforcement, decreasing hybridization, or it could potentially increase hybridization in genetically purebred offspring of heterospecific social pairs. We use deterministic population genetic simulations to explore conditions under which sexual imprinting can evolve through reinforcement. We demonstrate that a sexual imprinting component of female preference can evolve as a one-allele assortative mating mechanism by reducing the risk of hybridization, and is generally effective at causing trait divergence. However, imprinting often evolves to be a component rather than the sole determinant of female preference. The evolution of imprinting has the unexpected side effect of homogenizing existing innate preference, because the imprinted preference neutralizes any innate preference. We also find that the weight of the imprinting component may evolve to a lower value when migration and divergent selection are strong and the cost of hybridization is low; these conditions render hybridization adaptive for immigrant females because they can acquire locally adaptive genes by mating with local males. Together, these results suggest that sexual imprinting can itself evolve as part of the speciation process, and in doing so has the capacity to promote or retard divergence through complex interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Justin Yeh
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Janette W Boughman
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48823
| | - Glenn-Peter Saetre
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CESS), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Fitzpatrick CL, Servedio MR. The evolution of male mate choice and female ornamentation: a review of mathematical models. Curr Zool 2018; 64:323-333. [PMID: 30402075 PMCID: PMC6007321 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of male preferences and of female ornaments in species with traditional sex roles (i.e., polygyny) have been highlighted as areas in need of more active research by an accumulation of recent findings. The theoretical literature on these topics is relatively small and has centered on the evolution of male choice. Mathematical models have emphasized that, under polygyny, the evolution of male preferences faces much greater competition costs than does the evolution of female preferences. We discuss ways in which costly male choice can nonetheless evolve, via (1) direct selection that favors preferences, primarily through mating with highly fecund females, (2) mechanisms that rely on indirect selection, which weakly counters competitive costs of male preferences, and (3) genetic constraints, primarily in the form of pleiotropy of male and female preferences and traits. We also review a variety of mathematical models that have elucidated how costs to male preferences can be avoided. Finally, we turn our attention to the relatively scant theoretical literature on the effects of male mate choice on the evolution of female traits. We emphasize the finding that the presence of male preferences cannot be assumed to lead to the evolution of female ornaments during polygyny, and point out situations where models have elucidated ways in which female ornaments can nevertheless evolve.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Santos M, Sapage M, Matos M, Varela SAM. Mate-choice copying: A fitness-enhancing behavior that evolves by indirect selection. Evolution 2017; 71:1456-1464. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Santos
- Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia; Grup de Genòmica, Bioinformàtica i Biologia Evolutiva (GGBE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
| | - Manuel Sapage
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa; Campo Grande 1749-016 Lisboa Portugal
| | - Margarida Matos
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa; Campo Grande 1749-016 Lisboa Portugal
| | - Susana A. M. Varela
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology; Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa; Campo Grande 1749-016 Lisboa Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Verzijden MN, Svensson EI. Interspecific interactions and learning variability jointly drive geographic differences in mate preferences. Evolution 2016; 70:1896-903. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Machteld N. Verzijden
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Unit; Lund University; SE-223 62 Lund Sweden
- Current Address: Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies; Aarhus University; 8000 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Erik I. Svensson
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Unit; Lund University; SE-223 62 Lund Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Svensson EI, Nordén A, Waller JT, Runemark A. Linking intra- and interspecific assortative mating: Consequences for asymmetric sexual isolation. Evolution 2016; 70:1165-79. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik I. Svensson
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology; Lund University; SE-223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - Anna Nordén
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology; Lund University; SE-223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - John T. Waller
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology; Lund University; SE-223 62 Lund Sweden
| | - Anna Runemark
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Cummings ME, Ramsey ME. Mate choice as social cognition: predicting female behavioral and neural plasticity as a function of alternative male reproductive tactics. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
14
|
Gilman RT, Kozak GM. Learning to speciate: The biased learning of mate preferences promotes adaptive radiation. Evolution 2015; 69:3004-12. [PMID: 26459795 PMCID: PMC5057300 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bursts of rapid repeated speciation called adaptive radiations have generated much of Earth's biodiversity and fascinated biologists since Darwin, but we still do not know why some lineages radiate and others do not. Understanding what causes assortative mating to evolve rapidly and repeatedly in the same lineage is key to understanding adaptive radiation. Many species that have undergone adaptive radiations exhibit mate preference learning, where individuals acquire mate preferences by observing the phenotypes of other members of their populations. Mate preference learning can be biased if individuals also learn phenotypes to avoid in mates, and shift their preferences away from these avoided phenotypes. We used individual-based computational simulations to study whether biased and unbiased mate preference learning promotes ecological speciation and adaptive radiation. We found that ecological speciation can be rapid and repeated when mate preferences are biased, but is inhibited when mate preferences are learned without bias. Our results suggest that biased mate preference learning may play an important role in generating animal biodiversity through adaptive radiation.
Collapse
|
15
|
Servedio MR. Geography, assortative mating, and the effects of sexual selection on speciation with gene flow. Evol Appl 2015; 9:91-102. [PMID: 27087841 PMCID: PMC4780376 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Theoretical and empirical research on the evolution of reproductive isolation have both indicated that the effects of sexual selection on speciation with gene flow are quite complex. As part of this special issue on the contributions of women to basic and applied evolutionary biology, I discuss my work on this question in the context of a broader assessment of the patterns of sexual selection that lead to, versus inhibit, the speciation process, as derived from theoretical research. In particular, I focus on how two factors, the geographic context of speciation and the mechanism leading to assortative mating, interact to alter the effect that sexual selection through mate choice has on speciation. I concentrate on two geographic contexts: sympatry and secondary contact between two geographically separated populations that are exchanging migrants and two mechanisms of assortative mating: phenotype matching and separate preferences and traits. I show that both of these factors must be considered for the effects of sexual selection on speciation to be inferred.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology University of North Carolina Chapel Hill NC USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Svensson EI, Runemark A, Verzijden MN, Wellenreuther M. Sex differences in developmental plasticity and canalization shape population divergence in mate preferences. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:rspb.2014.1636. [PMID: 25377451 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection of high-quality mates can conflict with species recognition if traits that govern intraspecific mate preferences also influence interspecific recognition. This conflict might be resolved by developmental plasticity and learned mate preferences, which could drive preference divergence in populations that differ in local species composition. We integrate field and laboratory experiments on two calopterygid damselfly species with population genetic data to investigate how sex differences in developmental plasticity affect population divergence in the face of gene flow. Whereas male species recognition is fixed at emergence, females instead learn to recognize heterospecifics. Females are therefore more plastic in their mate preferences than males. We suggest that this results from sex differences in the balance between sexual selection for high-quality mates and selection for species recognition. As a result of these sex differences, females develop more pronounced population divergence in their mate preferences compared with males. Local ecological community context and presence of heterospecifics in combination with sex differences in plasticity and canalization therefore shape population divergence in mate preferences. As ongoing environmental change and habitat fragmentation bring formerly allopatric species into secondary contact, developmental plasticity of mate preferences in either or both sexes might facilitate coexistence and prevent local species extinction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erik I Svensson
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 223 62, Sweden
| | - Anna Runemark
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 223 62, Sweden Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biology, Oslo University, Oslo, Norway
| | - Machteld N Verzijden
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 223 62, Sweden
| | - Maren Wellenreuther
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 223 62, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Affiliation(s)
- Carling M. Baxter
- Animal Behaviour Group; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour; McMaster University; Hamilton ON Canada
| | - Rachael Barnett
- Animal Behaviour Group; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour; McMaster University; Hamilton ON Canada
| | - Reuven Dukas
- Animal Behaviour Group; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour; McMaster University; Hamilton ON Canada
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
|