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637 results for “Selection: sexual”
Data from: Chemical communication, sexual selection, and introgression in wall lizards
Divergence in communication systems should influence the likelihood that individuals from different lineages interbreed, and consequently shape the direction and rate of hybridization. Here, we studied the role of chemical communication in hybridization, and its contribution to asymmetric and sexually selected introgression, between two lineages of the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). Males of the two lineages differed in the chemical composition of their femoral secretions. Chemical profiles provided information regarding male secondary sexual characters, but the associations were variable and inconsistent between lineages. In experimental contact zones, chemical composition was weakly associated with male reproductive success, and did not predict the likelihood of hybridization. Consistent with these results, introgression of chemical profiles in a natural hybrid zone resembled that of neutral nuclear genetic markers overall, but one compound in particular (tocopherol methyl ether) matched closely the introgression of visual sexual characters. These results imply that associations between male chemical profiles, sexual characters and reproductive success largely reflect transient and environmentally driven effects, and that genetic divergence in chemical composition is largely neutral. We therefore suggest that femoral secretions in wall lizards primarily provide information about residency and individual identity rather than function as sexual signals.
Data from: Sexual selection against natural hybrids may contribute to reinforcement in a house mouse hybrid zone
Sexual selection may hinder gene flow across contact zones when hybrid recognition signals are discriminated against. We tested this hypothesis in a unimodal hybrid zone between Mus musculus musculus and Mus musculus domesticus where a pattern of reinforcement was described and lower hybrid fitness documented. We presented mice from the border of the hybrid zone with a choice between opposite sex urine from the same subspecies versus hybrids sampled in different locations across the zone. While no preference was evidenced in domesticus mice, musculus males discriminated in favour of musculus signals and against hybrid signals. Remarkably, the pattern of hybrid unattractiveness did not vary across the hybrid zone. Moreover, allopatric populations tested in the same conditions did not discriminate against hybrid signals, indicating character displacement for signal perception or preference. Finally, habituation–discrimination tests assessing similarities between signals pointed out that hybrid signals differed from the parental ones. Overall, our results suggest that perception of hybrids as unattractive has evolved in border populations of musculus after the secondary contact with domesticus. We discuss the mechanisms involved in hybrid unattractiveness, and the potential impact of asymmetric sexual selection on the hybrid zone dynamics and gene flow between the two subspecies.
Data from: The interplay between local ecology, divergent selection and genetic drift in population divergence of a sexually antagonistic female trait
Genetically polymorphic species offer the possibility to study maintenance of genetic variation and the potential role for genetic drift in population divergence. Indirect inference of the selection regimes operating on polymorphic traits can be achieved by comparing population divergence in neutral genetic markers with population divergence in trait frequencies. Such an approach could further be combined with ecological data to better understand agents of selection. Here, we infer the selective regimes acting on a polymorphic mating trait in an insect group; the dorsal structures (either rough or smooth) of female diving beetles. Our recent work suggests that the rough structures have a sexually antagonistic function in reducing male mating attempts. For two species (Dytiscus lapponicus and Graphoderus zonatus), we could not reject genetic drift as an explanation for population divergence in morph frequencies, while for the third (Hygrotus impressopunctatus) we found that divergent selection pulls morph frequencies apart across populations. Furthermore, population morph frequencies in H. impressopunctatus were significantly related to local bioclimatic factors, providing an additional line of evidence for local adaptation in this species. These data therefore suggest that local ecological factors and sexual conflict interact over larger spatial scales to shape population divergence in the polymorphism.
Habitat light sets the boundaries for the rapid evolution of cichlid fish vision, while sexual selection can tune it within those limits
Cichlid fishes' famous diversity in body coloration is accompanied by a highly diverse and complex visual system. Although cichlids possess an unusually high number of seven cone opsin genes, they express only a subset of these during their ontogeny, accounting for their astonishing interspecific variation in visual sensitivities. Much of this diversity is thought to have been shaped by natural selection as cichlids inhabit a variety of habitats with distinct light environments. Also, sexual selection might have contributed to the observed visual diversity, and sexual dimorphism in coloration potentially co-evolved with sexual dimorphism in opsin expression. We investigated sex-specific opsin expression of several cichlids from Africa and the Neotropics and collected and integrated datasets on sex-specific body coloration, species-specific visual sensitivities, lens transmission and habitat light properties for some of them. We comparatively analyzed this wide range of molecular and ecological data, illustrating how integrative approaches can address specific questions on the factors and mechanisms driving diversification, and the evolution of cichlid vision in particular. We found that both sexes expressed opsins at the same levels - even in sexually dimorphic cichlid species – which argues against coevolution of sexual dichromatism and differences in sex-specific visual sensitivity. Rather, a combination of environmental light properties and body coloration shaped the diversity in spectral sensitivities among cichlids. We conclude that although cichlids are particularly colorful and diverse and often sexually dimorphic, it would appear that natural rather than sexual selection is a more powerful force driving visual diversity in this hyper-diverse lineage.
Data from: The design of a beautiful weapon: compensation for opposing sexual selection on a trait with two functions
Male fiddler crabs, genus Uca, have one greatly enlarged claw with which they court females and threaten and fight other males. Longer claws are more effective signals but are thought to be less effective weapons because the relative closing force at the tip of the claw decreases with claw length. We studied claw morphology and fighting in Uca terpsichores and Uca beebei and found a mechanism that may resolve opposing selection for signaling and fighting ability. When males fought they delivered gripping forces not at the tips but at the tubercles on the inner margins of their claws' fingers. As claws grow, these tubercles remain relatively close to the apex of the gape. Consequently, the mechanical advantage that governs the forces that can be delivered at these tubercles decreases only slightly with increasing claw length allowing the claw to be an effective signal and a powerful weapon. Animal weapons are exceptionally diverse in form and detail of armature and the causes of this diversity are poorly understood. We suggest that the designs of weapons may often reflect compensatory patterns of growth and placement of armature that enhances the weapon's overall utility for multiple uses in competition for mates.
Data from: Ecology and sexual selection: evolution of wing pigmentation in calopterygid damselflies in relation to latitude, sexual dimorphism and speciation
Our knowledge about how the environment influences sexual selection regimes and how ecology and sexual selection interact is still limited. We performed an integrative study of wing pigmentation in calopterygid damselflies, combining phylogenetic comparative analyses, field observations and experiments. We investigated the evolutionary consequences of wing pigmentation for sexual dimorphism, speciation and extinction and addressed the possible thermoregulatory benefits of pigmentation. First, we reconstructed ancestral states of male and female phenotypes and traced the evolutionary change of wing pigmentation. Clear wings are the ancestral state and that pigmentation dimorphism is derived, suggesting that sexual selection results in sexual dimorphism. We further demonstrate that pigmentation elevates speciation and extinction rates. We also document a significant biogeographic association with pigmented species primarily occupying northern temperate regions with cooler climates. Field observations and experiments on two temperate sympatric species suggest a link between pigmentation, thermoregulation and sexual selection, although body temperature is also affected by other phenotypic traits such as body mass, microhabitat selection and thermoregulatory behaviors. Taken together, our results suggest an important role for wing pigmentation in sexual selection in males and in speciation. Wing pigmentation might not increase ecological adaptation and species longevity, and its primary function is in sexual signalling and species recognition.
Data from: Mating system, reproductive success and sexual selection in bluntnose klipfishes (Clinus cottoides)
A critical part of the sexual selection process in animals is the genetic mating system. Quantifying mating systems, especially in species with cryptic life-histories can be challenging. One approach is to use genotypic markers and accurate parentage analysis, along with methods to account for bias when sampling natural populations, to calculate sexual selection metrics derived from Bateman's principles. In this study, three microsatellites were used to genotype 48 adults (23 female and 25 male) and 342 offspring from known mothers of live-bearing bluntnose klipfish. Parentage analysis was performed to interpret mating and reproductive success for both sexes. Metrics quantified were the opportunity for selection (I), the opportunity for sexual selection (Is), absolute (βss) and standardised (β'ss) Bateman gradients and the maximum intensity of precopulatory sexual selection (s'max). Multiple mating by both sexes were revealed by parentage analysis. However, females did not show significant Bateman gradients or a significant maximum intensity of precopulatory sexual selection (s'max), whereas male sexual selection metrics were all significantly greater than zero. These results suggests a polygynandrous mating system for this species. There is an opportunity for sexual selection to act on males but not females in this population, which is evolutionary tied to anisogamy, parental investment and sex-roles.
Fig. 3 in Evidence for Two Male Morphs ofLuciola cerataOlivier (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Exhibiting Distinct Mating Behavior, with Implications for Sexual Selection
Fig. 3. Average flash interval of pentagonal male Luciola cerata (n = 178) over time, when grouped with one semi-oval male.
Fig. 2 in Evidence for Two Male Morphs ofLuciola cerataOlivier (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Exhibiting Distinct Mating Behavior, with Implications for Sexual Selection
Fig. 2. Shape of the second light segment in two morphs of male Luciola cerata. Left: pentagonal; right: semi-oval. The gray segments indicate those used to produce the bioluminescent flash in each morph.
Fig. 1 in Evidence for Two Male Morphs ofLuciola cerataOlivier (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Exhibiting Distinct Mating Behavior, with Implications for Sexual Selection
Fig. 1. Locations of survey sites for Luciola cerata in Taiwan. HZ: Hualien Rui-Sui (23°35′18.8″N 121°21′ 15.5″E, Hualien county, 3/30/2006); IT: Ilan Tou-Cheng (24°50′56″N 12°47′13″E, Ilan county, 4/19/2006); PP: Taipei Pin-Shih (25°1′31.9″N 121°44′2.4 ″E, Taipei county, 4/20/2006); PS: Taipei San-Xia (24°50′09″N 121°27′08″E, Taipei county, 4/21/2006); PW: Taipei Wu-Lai (24°49′31.3″N 121°31′28.8″E, Taipei county, 4/12/2006); TF: Taoyuan Fu-Xing (24°42′58″N 121°21′ 41″E, Taoyuan county, 4/18/2006); SB: Sinzhu Bei-Pu (24°40′21″N 121°03′53″E, Shizhu county, 4/6/2006); MST: Maioli Shi-Tan (24°31′22″N 120°55′10″E, Maioli county, 4/17/2006); MSE: Maioli San-Yi (24°23′36″N 120°45′55″E, Maioli county, 4/16/2006); CT: Taichung Tung-Shih (24°16′35.8″N 120°50′41.7′E, Taichung county, 4/15/2006); NT: Tainan Tung-San (23°16′51″N 120°25′54″E, Tainan county, 4/15/2006); HS: Kaohsiung San-Min (23°15′38.7′N 120°42′6.9″E, 3/21/2006).; The circular chart for each site represents the ratio of pentagonal males (dark gray) and semi-oval males (light gray).
Data and code for: Partitioning variance in a signaling trade-off under sexual selection reveals among-individual covariance in trait allocation
<p>Understanding the evolution of traits subject to trade-offs is challenging because phenotypes can (co)vary at both the among- and within-individual levels. Among-individual covariation indicates consistent, possibly genetic, differences in how individuals resolve the trade-off, while within-individual covariation indicates trait plasticity. There is also the potential for consistent among-individual differences in behavioral plasticity, although this has rarely been investigated. We studied the sources of (co)variance in two characteristics of an acoustic advertisement signal that trade off with one another and are under sexual selection in the gray treefrog, <em>Hyla chrysoscelis</em>: call duration and call rate. We recorded males on multiple nights calling spontaneously and in response to playbacks simulating different competition levels. Call duration, call rate, and their product, call effort, were all repeatable both within and across social contexts. Call duration and call rate covaried negatively, and the largest covariance was at the among-individual level. There was extensive plasticity in calling with changes in social competition, and we found some evidence for among-individual variance in call rate plasticity. The significant negative among-individual covariance in trait values is perpendicular to the primary direction of sexual selection in this species, indicating potential limits on the response to selection.</p>
Evolution of social organization: phylogenetic analyses of ecology and sexual selection in weavers
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Crook published a landmark study on the social organization of weavers (or weaverbirds, family Ploceidae) that contributed to the emergence of sociobiology, behavioral ecology, and phylogenetic comparative methods. By comparing ecology, spatial distribution, and mating systems, Crook suggested that the spatial distribution of food resources and breeding habitats influence weaver aggregation, both during the breeding season (colonial vs solitary breeding) and non-breeding season (flocking vs solitary foraging), and the food resources distribution and breeding aggregation of individuals in turn impact mating systems and sexual selection. Although Crook's study stimulated much follow-up research, his conclusions have not been scrutinized using phylogenetically controlled analyses. We revisited Crook's hypotheses using modern phylogenetic comparative methods and an extended dataset of 107 weaver species. We showed that both diet and habitat type are associated with spatial distribution and the latter predicts mating system, consistent with Crook's propositions. The best supported phylogenetic path model (PPA) also supported Crook's arguments, and uncovered a direct relationship between non-breeding distribution and mating system. Taken together, our phylogenetically corrected analyses confirm Crook's conjectures on the roles of ecology in social organizations of weavers; however, our analyses also uncovered an association between non-breeding distributions and mating systems, which was not envisaged by Crook.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
In search of an honest butterfly: Sexually selected wing coloration and reproductive traits from wild populations of the Cabbage White Butterfly
Abstract <p></p><p>Sexual selection is central to many theories on mate selection and individual behavior. Relatively little is known, however, about the impacts that human-induced rapid environmental change are having on secondary sexually selected characteristics. Honest signals function as an indicator of mate quality when there are differences in nutrient acquisition and are thus potentially sensitive to anthropogenically altered nutrient inputs. We used the cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), to investigate differences in color and testes size in a system that is often exposed to agricultural landscapes with nitrogen addition. We collected individuals from four sites in California and Nevada to investigate variation in key traits and the possibility that any relationship between wing color and a reproductive trait (testes size) could vary among locations in the focal butterfly. Coloration variables and testes size were positively albeit weakly associated across sites, consistent with the hypothesis that females could use nitrogen-based coloration in the cabbage white as an indicator for a male mating trait that has the potential to confer elevated mating success in progeny. However, variation in testes size and in the relationship between testes size and wing color suggest complexities that need exploration, including the possibility that the signal is not of equal value in all populations. Thus these results advance our understanding of complex relationships among environmental change and sexual selection in the wild.</p><p></p>
Finding love: fruit fly males evolving under higher sexual selection are inherently better at finding receptive females
<p><span>Courtship is an important component of male reproductive behaviour that enables males to learn about the suitability of their mating partners. Experimental evidence suggests that <i>Drosophila melanogaster </i>males can learn to modify their courtship behaviour based on their prior experience with unreceptive females. This courtship learning is expected to provide a fitness advantage to males and could therefore evolve given suitable heritable variation. We investigated the role of sexual selection in the evolution of courtship learning ability of males, using populations of <i>D. melanogaster</i> evolving under high and low levels of sexual selection for over 170 generations. We exposed males from both types of population to unreceptive females and then tested their ability to discriminate between receptive and unreceptive females in a complex mating environment. <span>After being exposed to unreceptive females, males from both types of population (1) courted females less (both receptive and unreceptive), (2) took longer to initiate courtship, but took less time to start mating after initiating courtship and (3) increased the proportion of courtship directed towards receptive females, indicating the ability of both types of male to learn from experience</span><span>.</span> We did not find any difference in the courtship learning ability of males from the two types of population. However, males from populations with higher levels of sexual selection were better able to recognize and court receptive females, even when they were not previously exposed to unreceptive females. Taken together, these results show that sexual selection may not result in improved learning abilities but can lead to the evolution of an improved innate ability of males to assess the receptivity of females. </span></p>
Dataset for: Body size and sexual selection shaped the evolution of parrot calls
<p><span>Morphology, habitat and various selective pressures (e.g., social and sexual selection) can influence the evolution of acoustic signals, but the relative importance of their effects is not well understood. The order Psittaciformes (parrots, <em>sensu lato</em>) is a large clade of very vocal and often gregarious species for which large-scale comparative studies of vocalizations are lacking. We measured acoustic traits (duration, sound frequency, frequency bandwidth and sound entropy) of the predominant call type for >200 parrot species to test: (1) for associations with body size; (2) the acoustic adaptation hypothesis (predicting differences between forest and open-habitat species); (3) the social complexity hypothesis (predicting more complex calls in gregarious species); and (4) influences of sexual selection (predicting correlated evolution with colour ornamentation). Larger species had on average longer calls, lower sound frequency and wider frequency bandwidth. These associations with body size are all predicted by physical principles of sound production. We found no evidence for the acoustic adaptation and social complexity hypotheses, but perhaps social complexity is associated with vocal traits not studied here, such as call repertoire sizes. More sexually dichromatic species had on average simpler calls (shorter, with lower entropy and narrower frequency bandwidth) indicating an influence of sexual selection, namely an evolutionary negative correlation between colour ornamentation and elaborate acoustic signals, as predicted by the transference hypothesis. Our study is the first large-scale attempt at understanding acoustic diversity across the Psittaciformes, and indicates that body size and sexual selection influenced the evolution of species differences in vocal signals.</span></p>
More than just noise: chance, mating success, and sexual selection
<p>Chance plays a critical but under-appreciated role in determining mating success. In many cases, we tend to think of chance as background noise that can be ignored in studies of mating dynamics. When the influence of chance is consistent across contexts, chance can be thought of as background noise; in other cases, however, the impact of chance on mating success can influence our understanding of how mates are acquired and how sexual selection operates. In particular, when the importance of chance co-varies with biological or ecological factors in a systematic manner— that is when chance becomes consistently more or less important under certain conditions– then chance is important to consider if we want to fully understand the operation of mate acquisition and sexual selection. Here, we present a model that explores how chance co-varies with factors such as sex ratio, adult population size, and mating regime in determining variation in mating success. We find that in some cases, chance co-varies with adult population size and OSR to create variation in mating success. We discuss how chance can influence our more general understanding of the operation of mating dynamics and sexual selection.</p>
Experimental evolution reveals differential evolutionary trajectories in male and female activity levels in response to sexual selection and metapopulation structure
<p>Behavior is central to interactions with the environment and thus has significant consequences for individual fitness. Sexual selection and demographic processes have been shown to independently shape behavioral evolution. However, while some studies have tested the simultaneous effects of these forces, no studies have investigated their interplay in behavioral evolution. We applied experimental evolution in the seed beetle <i>Callosobruchus maculatus</i> to investigate, for the first time, the interactive effects of sexual selection intensity (high (polygamy) vs. minimal (enforced monogamy)) and metapopulation structure (yes/no) on the evolution of movement activity, a crucial behavior involved in multiples functions (e.g., dispersal, predator avoidance or resource acquisition) and thus, closely related to <a>fitne</a>ss. We found that the interactive effects of the selection regimes did not affect individual activity, which was assayed under two different environments (absence vs. presence of conspecific cues from both sexes). However, contrasting selection regimes led to sex- and context-dependent divergence in activity. The relaxation of sexual selection favored an increase in female, but not male, movement activity that was consistent between environmental contexts. In contrast, selection associated with the presence/absence of metapopulation structure led to context-dependent responses only in male activity. In environments containing cues from conspecifics, males from selection lines under population subdivision showed increased levels of activity compared to those assayed in an environment devoid of conspecifics cues, while the opposite was true for males from panmictic lines. These results underscore that both the effects of sexual selection and population spatial structure may be crucial in shaping sex-specific behavioral evolution.</p>
Adaptation to a bacterial pathogen in Drosophila melanogaster is not aided by sexual selection
<p>Theory predicts that sexual selection should aid adaptation to novel environments, but empirical support for this idea is limited. Pathogens are a major driver of host evolution and, unlike abiotic selection pressures, undergo epidemiological and co-evolutionary cycles with the host involving adaptation and counteradaptation. Because of this, populations harbor ample genetic variation underlying immunity and the opportunity for sexual selection based on condition-dependent "good genes" is expected to be large. In this study, we evolved populations of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> in a 2-way factorial design manipulating sexual selection and pathogen presence, using a gram-negative insect pathogen <em>Pseudomonas entomophila</em>, for 14 generations. We then examined how the presence of sexual selection and the pathogen, as well as any potential interaction, affected the evolution of pathogen resistance. We found increased resistance to <em>P. entomophila</em> in populations that evolved under pathogen pressure, driven primarily by increased female survival after infection despite selection for resistance acting only on males over the course of experimental evolution. This result suggests that the genetic basis of resistance is in part shared between the sexes. We did not find any evidence of sexual selection aiding adaptation to pathogen, however, a finding contrary to the predictions of "good genes" theory. Our results therefore provide no support for a role for sexual selection in the evolution of immunity in this experimental system.</p>
Data from: Cascading effects of pre-adult survival on sexual selection
<p>Sexual selection influences broad-scale patterns of biodiversity. While a large body of research has investigated the effect of mate competition on sexual selection, less work has examined how pre-adult life history influences sexual selection. We used a mathematical framework to explore the influence of pre-adult survival on sexual selection. Our model suggests that pre-adult male mortality will affect the strength of sexual selection when a fixed number of adult males have an advantageous mate-acquisition trait. When a fixed number of males have an advantageous mate-acquisition trait, sexual selection is expected to increase when pre-adult mortality is relatively low. In contrast, if a fixed proportion (rather than number) of adult males have a mate-acquisition trait, pre-adult male mortality is not expected to affect the strength of sexual selection. Further, if the advantageous mating trait affects pre-adult survival, natural and sexual selection can interact to influence the overall selection on the mating trait. Given that pre-adult mortality is often shaped by natural selection, our results highlight conditions under which natural selection can have cascading effects on sexual selection.</p>
Sexual selection for flight performance in hummingbirds data
<p><span>Among size-dimorphic animals, a few clades such as hummingbirds show 'reversed' sexual size dimorphism: females tend to be the larger sex. What selects for this pattern? Sexual selection for flight performance could drive the evolution of smaller, more agile males, either for male-male combat or female choice for aerial courtship displays. Alternately, natural selection can select for female fecundity (e.g. egg size influences female body size), or sex differences in foraging niche could favor body size differences. The sexual selection hypotheses predict that dimorphism extends to other aspects of flight morphology (e.g. flight muscle size) whereas the natural selection hypotheses predict that male and female flight morphologies are isometric, and the niche differentiation hypothesis predicts that bill dimorphism is correlated with size dimorphism. We tested these predictions through phylogenetic comparative analyses of flight morphology, wingbeat frequency, and courtship behaviors, focused on 30 species within the "bee" hummingbird clade (tribe Mellisugini). There is no correlation between bill morphology and dimorphism. Relative to females, males tend to be smaller, have proportionately shorter wings and higher hovering wingbeat frequencies, but also longer keels and larger flight muscles. Male wingbeat frequencies are greatly elevated during aerial displays, and the species with the greatest wingbeat frequencies have the greatest dimorphism. Of the four hypotheses for dimorphism, the data best support the hypothesis that female choice for courtship displays has selected for aerial agility and small size in male hummingbirds.</span></p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
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Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
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