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Sexual selection and sex linkage
Mark Kirkpatrick1, David W Hall
1Section of Integrative Biology, 1 University Station C-0930, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA. kirkp@mail.utexas.edu
Summary
Sex linkage significantly impacts sexual selection by altering genetic correlations between male traits and female preferences. This can favor either Fisher
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Animal behavior
Background:
- Extreme sexual selection is observed in some animal groups, like birds.
- Sex-linked genes influencing male displays and female preferences may contribute.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of sex linkage on sexual selection mechanisms.
- To determine how sex linkage influences the genetic correlation between male displays and female preferences.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of sexual selection under different sex-linkage scenarios.
- Comparison of Fisher's runaway and good-genes models with autosomal and sex-linked inheritance.
Main Results:
- Sex linkage substantially affects the genetic correlation between male displays and female preferences.
- Z-linked preferences increase the likelihood of Fisher's runaway sexual selection.
- X-linked preferences combined with autosomal displays enhance the good-genes mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Sex linkage plays a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of sexual selection.
- Different modes of sex linkage differentially affect sexual selection mechanisms.
- Findings propose empirical tests using comparative methods to validate theoretical predictions.