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637 results for “Sexual selection”
Selection for male weapons boosts female fecundity, eliminating sexual conflict in the bulb mite
<p>Extreme differences between the sexes are usually explained by intense sexual selection on male weapons or ornaments. Sexually antagonistic genes, with a positive effect on male traits but a negative effect on female fitness, create a negative inter-sexual correlation for fitness (sexual conflict). However, such antagonism might not be apparent if sexually selected male traits are condition-dependent, and condition elevates female fitness. Here we reveal a surprising positive genetic correlation between male weaponry and female fecundity. Using mite lines that had previously been through 13 generations of selection on male weapons (fighting legs), we investigated correlated evolution in female fecundity. Females from lines under positive selection for weapons (up lines) evolved higher fecundity, despite evolving costly, thicker legs. This is likely because male mites have condition-dependent weaponry that increases our ability to indirectly select on male condition. Alleles with positive effects on condition in both sexes could have generated this correlation because: the up lines evolved a higher proportion of fighters and there were positive correlations between weapon size and the male morph and sex ratios of the offspring. This positive inter-sexual genetic correlation should boost the evolution of male weapons and extreme sex differences.</p>
Data for: Environmental complexity mitigates the demographic impact of sexual selection
<p>Sexual selection and the evolution of costly mating strategies can negatively impact population demography and adaptive potential. While laboratory studies have documented outcomes stemming from these processes, theory suggests that the demographic impact of sexual selection is contingent on the environment and therefore may have been overestimated in simple laboratory settings. Here we find support for this claim. We exposed copies of beetle lines, previously evolved with or without sexual selection, to a 10-generation heatwave while maintaining half of them in a simple environment and the other half in a complex environment. Populations with an evolutionary history of sexual selection maintained larger sizes and more stable growth rates in complex (relative to simple) environments, an effect not seen in populations that evolved without sexual selection. These results have implications for evolutionary forecasting and suggest that the demographic impact of sexual selection in natural populations might be lower than predicted.</p>
Data from: Convergent rates of protein evolution identify novel targets of sexual selection in primates
<p>Sexual selection is the differential reproductive success of individuals, resulting from competition for mates, mate choice, or success in fertilization. In primates, this selective pressure often leads to the development of exaggerated traits which play a role in sexual competition and successful reproduction. In order to gain insight into the mechanisms driving the development of sexually selected traits, we used an unbiased genome-wide approach across 21 primate species to correlate individual rates of protein evolution to relative testes size and sexual dimorphism in body size, two anatomical hallmarks of sexual selection in mammals. Among species with presumed high levels of sperm competition, we detected strong conservation of testes-specific proteins responsible for spermatogenesis and ciliary form and function. In contrast, we identified accelerated evolution of female reproductive proteins expressed in the vagina, cervix, and fallopian tubes in these same species. Additionally, we found accelerated protein evolution in lymphoid tissue, indicating that adaptive immune functions may also be influenced by sexual selection. This study demonstrates the distinct complexity of sexual selection in primates revealing contrasting patterns of protein evolution between male and female reproductive tissues.</p>
Sexual selection on a female copulatory device in an insect with nuptial gifts
<p><span>Male genitalia are rapidly evolving structures, often driven by sexual selection to increase fertilization success. Although sexual selection on females can be strong in systems where males provide offspring care or feed their mates, sometimes resulting in the evolution of female ornamentation, there are no actual estimates of direct sexual selection on female genitalia. In a New Zealand ground weta, <em>Hemiandrus pallitarsis</em> (Orthoptera: Ensifera, Anostostomatidae), females possess a genitalic device (the accessory organ) that is necessary for successful copulation and the acquisition of glandular food-gifts from males. These nutritious gifts are known to result in sexual competition among females in other ensiferan species. In ground weta, the gifts are probably important in avoiding starvation during a months-long period when caring for </span>(their lifetime production of) eggs and offspring.<span> Here, we test the hypothesis that the accessory organ is a sexually selected device in <em>H. pallitarsis</em> by measuring the female Bateman gradient, Jones index, and directional sexual selection on the accessory organ. Using newly developed and characterized microsatellite loci, we analyze offspring and/or stored sperm to estimate female mating frequency for the first time in ground weta. As predicted, we found both a positive Bateman gradient and Jones index for females, and evidence of directional sexual selection on accessory organ length. Although organ length does not correlate well with female fecundity, it may increase mating success by indicating her condition and thus quality of her offspring care. </span></p>
Sexually antagonistic selection on educational attainment and body size in Estonian children
<p>Natural selection is a key mechanism of evolution, which results from the differential reproduction of phenotypes. We describe fecundity selection at different parity transitions on 15 anthropometric traits and educational attainment in Estonian children, who were born between 1938 and 1962 and measured at around 13 years of age (Juhan Aul’s database). The sample sizes reach up to 7000 in boys and 10 000 in girls. The direction of selection on educational attainment and bodily traits was sexually antagonistic, and it occurred via different parity transitions in boys and girls. Compared to boys with primary education, obtaining tertiary education was associated with 3.5 times and secondary education two times higher odds of becoming a father. Transition to motherhood was not related to educational attainment, while education above primary was associated with lower odds (OR = 0.5 – 0.7) to progression to parities above one and two. Selection on anthropometric traits occurred almost exclusively via childlessness in boys, while among the girls, most of the traits that were associated with becoming a mother were additionally associated with a transition from one child to higher parities. Male (but not female) fitness was thus primarily determined by traits related to mating success. Selection favoured stronger and larger boys and smaller girls. Selection on girls favoured some traits that associate with perceived femininity while other feminine traits were selected against.</p> <p>This record includes the data and R code to reproduce the statistical analyses the results are based on. </p> <p> </p>
Data for: Sexual dichromatism may not be a good index of sexual or natural selection in the blue cardinalids (Aves: Passeriformes).
<p>More than a century ago, Darwin and Wallace started a still ongoing debate over which are the predominant forces driving sexual dichromatism (i.e., differences in body coloration between males and females): is it sexual selection on males to become more attractive, or is it natural selection on females to become more cryptic? While these are not mutually exclusive, the degree of sexual dichromatism has been extensively used as a proxy of the intensity of one type of selection (sexual) on one of the sexes (males). Here, we evaluated the relationship between sexual dichromatism and two body-color features that can be under natural and/or sexual selection in each sex: conspicuousness against the background and colorfulness (which we defined as the variety of colors and mechanisms to produce them within an individual's plumage). We focused on the 'blue clade' of the Cardinalidae bird family and considered the properties of their own visual system and those of potential raptor predators. We found that all blue cardinalids are sexually dichromatic, but levels of dichromatism vary within the clade. Males are on average more colorful than females, but neither male nor female colorfulness correlates with sexual dichromatism. Males are not more conspicuous than females against a vegetated background but are significantly more conspicuous against a nesting background than females. Yet, we found no correlation between conspicuousness and degree of sexual dichromatism. Our results suggest that, while both natural and sexual selection can drive color differences between the sexes, levels of sexual dichromatism do not necessarily reflect intensity of selection forces in this clade. Our results highlight the importance of testing assumptions regarding the relationship between sexual dichromatism and color evolution in each sex, considering the properties of different visual systems, relevant to the ecology of the study model.</p>
Female reproductive fluid increases the opportunities for post-mating sexual selection by prolonging egg fertilization window
<p>Female reproductive fluid, the fluid that surrounds the eggs, has attracted increasing attention for its role in fertilization and post-mating sexual selection through its effects on sperm traits. Surprisingly, however, only a few studies have investigated the effects of female reproductive fluid on the eggs. Yet, these effects might offer great potential to affect fertilization dynamics by, for example, increasing the opportunities for post-mating sexual selection. Here, we determined whether, by extending the egg fertilization window (time available for egg fertilization), the female reproductive fluid could also increase the opportunities for multiple paternity. Using the Zebrafish Danio rerio we first tested the prediction that female reproductive fluid increases the egg fertilization window, and then, using a split-brood design with sperm of two males added at different times after eggs activation, we tested whether the degree of multiple paternity varies in presence or absence of female reproductive fluid. Our results reveal the potential of the female reproductive fluid to increase multiple paternity throughout its effects on the egg fertilization window thus broadening our knowledge of the mechanisms females in externally fertilizing species affect post-mating sexual selection.</p>
Data from: Bateman gradients reflect variation in sexual selection in a species with dynamic sex roles
<p class="MsoNormal">Bateman gradients, the slope of the regression of reproductive success on mating success, are among the most commonly reported measures of sexual selection. They are particularly insightful in species with reversed sex roles, where females are expected to be under sexual selection. We measured Bateman gradients in replicate experimental populations of the spermatophore gift-giving bushcricket <em>Kawanaphila nartee </em>(Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). In this species, the operational sex ratio (OSR) and thus the sex competing for mates varies depending on the availability of pollen food resources: under pollen-limited regimens females are more competitive, whereas under pollen-rich regimens males are more competitive. We maintained populations in enclosures with either limited or supplemented pollen, and calculated Bateman gradients for males and females under both conditions. Bateman gradients were significantly positive in males, and the slope was steeper in pollen-supplemented populations where the OSR was more male-biased. Bateman gradients for females were shallow and nonsignificant regardless of pollen availability. Our results show that the strength of sexual selection on males can depend on environmental context. The lack of significant gradients among females may reflect experimental limitations on our ability to estimate Bateman gradients in female <em>K. nartee</em>.</p>
Data from: Evolutionary divergence via sexual selection acting on females in a species with sex role reversal
<p>1. There is much evidence that sexual selection drives the evolutionary divergence of male sexual traits, but little is known of females.</p> <p>2. Comparisons between neutral genetic divergence (FST) and phenotypic divergence (PST) among populations can reveal evolutionary responses to selection.</p> <p>3. In the bushcricket <em>Kawanaphila nartee</em>, changes in floral food availability cause sex roles to shift from competitive females and choosy males to choosy females and competitive males midway through the breeding season. Males call to attract females, and female auditory spiracle size is under sexual selection. We ask whether selection on females can drive an evolutionary divergence in auditory spiracle size among populations.</p> <p>4. We sampled 188 individuals from nine geographic locations and analysed 9,478 neutral SNP loci and two phenotypic characters to estimate FST and PST, respectively.</p> <p>5. We found that PST for female auditory spiracle size far exceeded the global FST, suggesting that female auditory spiracle size is subject to strong directional selection. We relate differences in phenotypic traits to differences in geological and floristic characteristics among the sites.</p> <p>6. Our data suggest that variation in sexual selection driven by variation in the floristic community on which this species feeds may contribute to the strength of directional selection acting on female <em>K. nartee</em> among populations.</p> <p>7. Together, these findings indicate that divergence among populations can be driven by sexual selection acting on females, even when that selection is temporary and circumscribed.</p>
Genetic diversity and efficacy of natural selection in spiders with pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism
<p>Factors that increase reproductive variance among individuals act to reduce effective population size (Ne), which accelerates loss of genetic diversity and decreases efficacy of purifying selection. These factors include sexual cannibalism, offspring investment, and mating system. Pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism where the female consumes the male prior to mating exacerbates this effect. We performed comparative transcriptomics in two spider species, the cannibalistic Trechaleoides biocellata and the non-cannibalistic T. keyserlingi, to generate genomic evidence to support these predictions. First, we estimated heterozygosity and found that genetic diversity is relatively lower in the cannibalistic species. Second, we calculated dN/dS ratios as a measure of purifying selection, higher dN/dS ratio indicated relaxed purifying selection in the cannibalistic species. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that sexual cannibalism impacts operational sex ratio and demographic processes, which interact with evolutionary forces to shape the genetic structure of populations. However, other factors such as the mating system and life-history traits contribute to shape Ne. Comparative analyses across multiple contrasting species-pairs would be required to disentangle these effects. Our study highlights that extreme behaviours such as pre-copulatory cannibalism may have profound eco-evolutionary effects. </p>
Pesticide exposure triggers sex-specific inter- and trans-generational effects conditioned by past sexual selection
<p>Environmental variation often induces plastic responses in organisms that can trigger changes in subsequent generations through non-genetic inheritance mechanisms. Such transgenerational plasticity thus consists of environmentally-induced non-random phenotypic modifications that are transmitted through generations. Transgenerational effects may vary according to the sex of the organism experiencing the environmental perturbation, the sex of their descendants, or both, but whether they are affected by past sexual selection is unknown. Here we use experimental evolution on an insect model system to conduct a first test of the involvement of sexual selection history in shaping transgenerational plasticity in the face of rapid environmental change (exposure to pesticides). We manipulated evolutionary history in terms of the intensity of sexual selection for over 80 generations before exposing individuals to the toxicant. We found that sexual selection history constrained adaptation under rapid environmental change. We also detected intergenerational and transgenerational effects of pesticide exposure in the form of increased fitness and longevity. These cross-generational influences of toxicants were sex-dependent (they affected only male descendants), and intergenerational, but not transgenerational, plasticity was modulated by sexual selection history. Our results highlight the complexity of intragenerational, intergenerational, and transgenerational influences of past selection and environmental stress on phenotypic expression.</p>
FIGURE 7 in Dispersion of hooks on the anal fins of primary and secondary males in Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae): a secondary sexual trait for breeder selection
FIGURE 7 | Correlation between total length and number of rays with hooks in males of Brycon orbignyanus. X axis: total length in cm. Y axis: number (n°) of anal fin rays that developed hooks.
FIGURE 4 in Dispersion of hooks on the anal fins of primary and secondary males in Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae): a secondary sexual trait for breeder selection
FIGURE 4 | Anal fin of Brycon orbignyanus with hooks. b: base of the hook. fr: first ray. lr: last ray. s: hooks. sg: rays segment. sr: second ray. st: hook cusp. Scales: A and B. 1.0 cm; C and D. 200 µm; E. 100 µm.
FIGURE 5 in Dispersion of hooks on the anal fins of primary and secondary males in Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae): a secondary sexual trait for breeder selection
FIGURE 5 | Phases of testes maturation in Brycon orbignyanus. A. Immature. B. Immature intersex. C. Regressing. D. Regenerating. E. Spawning Capable (primary male). F. Spawning Capable (secondary male). bv: blood vessels. cy: germ cell cysts. dge: discontinuous germinal epithelium. in: interstice. pg: primary growing oocyte. sg: spermatogonia. s: Sertoli cell. sz: sperm. tw: testis wall. va: vacuoles. Scales: A, C, D, E. 20 µm; B, F. 50 µm. Staining: Hematoxylin and Eosin.
FIGURE 3 in Dispersion of hooks on the anal fins of primary and secondary males in Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae): a secondary sexual trait for breeder selection
FIGURE 3 | Anal fin of Brycon orbignyanus without hooks. ca: callosity. fb: first fork. fr: first ray. sg: rays segment. sr: second ray. tb: terminal bifurcation. Scales: A. 0.5 cm; B. 200 µm; C. 100 µm.
FIGURE 6 in Dispersion of hooks on the anal fins of primary and secondary males in Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae): a secondary sexual trait for breeder selection
FIGURE 6 | Correlation between stages of the reproductive cycle and the number of rays with hooks in males of Brycon orbignyanus. X axis: Stages of the reproductive cycle, being, 0 – Immature specimens, 1 – Regressing, 2 – Regenerating specimens, 3 – Developing specimens, 4 – Spawning Capable specimens. Y axis: number (n°) of anal fin rays that developed hooks.
FIGURE 1 in Dispersion of hooks on the anal fins of primary and secondary males in Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae): a secondary sexual trait for breeder selection
FIGURE 1 | Anal fins in Brycon orbignyanus. A. Specimen of B. orbignyanus. B. Anal fin regions. C. Rays (r). D. Anal fin rays. af: anal fin. bi: bifurcation of rays. ca: caudal region. cr: cranial region. fr: first ray. im: interradial membrane. me: medial region. sg: radius segment. Scales: A. 5 cm; B and D. 1 cm; C. 200 µm.
FIGURE 2 in Dispersion of hooks on the anal fins of primary and secondary males in Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae): a secondary sexual trait for breeder selection
FIGURE 2 | Details regarding the fins of Brycon orbignyanus. A, C and E. Rays without hooks. B, D and F. Rays with hooks. b: base. fb: first fork. r: rays. rs: rays with hooks. s: hooks. sg: rays segment. st: hooks cusp. tb: terminal bifurcation. Scales: A and B. 1 cm; C and D. 200 µm; E. 100 µm; F. 50 µm.
Data from: Environmental conditions during development affect sexual selection through trait-fitness relationships
<p>Sexual selection can be shaped by spatial variation in environmental features among populations. Differences in sexual selection among populations generated through the effects of the environment could be shaped via four paths: differences in mean absolute fitness, differences in the means or variances of phenotypes, or differences in the absolute fitness-trait function relationship. Because sexual selection only occurs during the adult life stage, most studies have focused on identifying environmental features that influence these metrics of fitness and trait distributions among adults. However, these adult features could also be affected by environmental factors experienced in early life stages that then shape the trajectory for sexual selection during the adult life stage. Here we investigated how among-population variation in environmental conditions during the juvenile (larval) stage of two species of <i>Enallagma</i> damselflies shapes sexual selection on male body size. We found that environmental factors related to predation pressures, lake primary productivity, and habitat availability have a role in shaping spatial variation in sexual selection. This acts mainly through how the environment affects absolute fitness-body size associations, not spatial variation in mean fitness or body size means and variances. These results demonstrate that the underpinnings of sexual selection in the wild can arise from environmental conditions during pre-reproductive life stages.</p>
Data from: Sexual selection on male but not female function in monoecious and dioecious populations of broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)
<p class="MsoNormal">Direct measures of sexual selection in plants are rare and complicated by modular growth. Because of modularity, instantaneous measures of fitness scale with size, but size variation in plants is largely non-heritable, obscuring patterns of selection on heritable variation. We measured the magnitude of sexual selection in a monoecious and a dioecious population of the clonal plant <em>Sagittaria latifolia</em> using Bateman gradients (<em>ß<sub>ss</sub></em>). These gradients were calculated using parentage analysis and residual regression to account for the effects of shoot and clone size on mating and reproductive success. In both populations: (i) mating via male function was associated with greater promiscuity; and (ii) <em>ß</em><sub>ss</sub> were positive, with significant associations between mating and reproductive success for male but not female function. Moreover, estimated <em>ß</em><sub>ss</sub> were similar for the monoecious and dioecious populations, possibly because non-overlapping female and male sex phases in hermaphroditic <em>S. latifolia </em>reduces the scope for interference between sex functions during mating. This study builds on previous studies of selection on plant mating traits, and of sexual selection under experimental conditions by showing that sexual selection can operate in natural populations of plants, including populations of hermaphrodites.</p>
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