Sex-dependent selection on an autosomal melanic female ornament promotes the evolution of sex ratio bias.

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Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_1046122B7C8E
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Sex-dependent selection on an autosomal melanic female ornament promotes the evolution of sex ratio bias.
Journal
Ecology Letters
Author(s)
Roulin A., Altwegg R., Jensen H., Steinsland I., Schaub M.
ISSN
1461-0248[electronic], 1461-023X[linking]
Publication state
Published
Issued date
05/2010
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
13
Number
5
Pages
616-626
Language
english
Abstract
Sex-dependent selection often leads to spectacularly different phenotypes in males and females. In species in which sexual dimorphism is not complete, it is unclear which benefits females and males derive from displaying a trait that is typical of the other sex. In barn owls (Tyto alba), females exhibit on average larger black eumelanic spots than males but members of the two sexes display this trait in the same range of possible values. In a 12-year study, we show that selection exerted on spot size directly or on genetically correlated traits strongly favoured females with large spots and weakly favoured males with small spots. Intense directional selection on females caused an increase in spot diameter in the population over the study period. This increase is due to a change in the autosomal genes underlying the expression of eumelanic spots but not of sex-linked genes. Female-like males produced more daughters than sons, while male-like females produced more sons than daughters when mated to a small-spotted male. These sex ratio biases appear adaptive because sons of male-like females and daughters of female-like males had above-average survival. This demonstrates that selection exerted against individuals displaying a trait that is typical of the other sex promoted the evolution of specific life history strategies that enhance their fitness. This may explain why in many organisms sexual dimorphism is often not complete.
Keywords
Intralocus genetic conflict, melanin-based coloration, sex ratio, sexual selection, sexually antagonistic selection
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
20/01/2010 8:33
Last modification date
20/08/2019 12:37
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