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Preferring the fittest mates: an analytically tractable model.
Susanne Schindler1, Olaf Breidbach, Jürgen Jost
1Imperial College London, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom. s.schindler@imperial.ac.uk
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|October 6, 2012
Summary
Female preference for genetically fit mates drives rapid population divergence and speciation. This mating preference creates stable genetic clusters, significantly exceeding typical evolutionary predictions and leading to reproductive isolation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Population Genetics
- Speciation Research
Background:
- Understanding the genetic and ecological factors driving speciation is a central question in evolutionary biology.
- Female mate choice is a significant evolutionary force, but its role in initiating reproductive isolation is complex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a population-genetic model analyzing female preference for genetically fit mates.
- To investigate how mate preference influences ecological adaptation, mating success, and population structure.
- To determine the potential of mate preference to trigger parapatric speciation.
Main Methods:
- Development of an analytically tractable population-genetic model.
- Simulation of evolutionary dynamics at both individual and population levels.
- Analysis of genetic and phenotypic clustering under mate preference.
Main Results:
- Female preference for fit mates links ecological adaptation with mating success, providing individual advantage.
- This preference leads to stable, polymorphic subpopulations with strong genotype and phenotype clustering.
- The evolution of preference rapidly increases selection pressure between habitats, driving divergence.
Conclusions:
- The modeled polymorphism significantly exceeds the selection-migration equilibrium, indicating a potent evolutionary mechanism.
- Evolutionary preference for fit mates can act as a trigger for parapatric speciation.
- This preference initiates prezygotic isolation and divergence, facilitating the formation of new species.
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