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Evolutionarily stable sex ratios and mutation load.

Josh Hough1, Simone Immler, Spencer C H Barrett

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. josh.hough@utoronto.ca

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|July 3, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Biased sex ratios in plants with sex chromosomes can be stable. Deleterious mutations purged by haploid selection can outweigh sex ratio disadvantages, explaining widespread sex ratio bias in dioecious plants.

Keywords:
Evolutionarily stable strategygametophytic selectionheteromorphic sex chromosomesmutation loadplant life cyclessex-ratio evolution

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Population Genetics
  • Plant Sex Determination

Background:

  • Dioecious populations typically trend towards a 1:1 sex ratio due to frequency-dependent selection.
  • However, biased sex ratios are commonly observed, particularly in plants with sex chromosomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary stability of sex ratios under haploid selection and deleterious mutation load.
  • To explain the widespread occurrence of biased sex ratios in dioecious plants.

Main Methods:

  • Development of population genetic models.
  • Analysis of evolutionary stable sex ratios considering haploid selection on pollen fitness and mutation load.

Main Results:

  • When haploid selection solely affects pollen fitness and maternal genotype controls sex ratio, a 1:1 sex ratio evolves.
  • Incorporating haploid selection on deleterious mutations allows for stable maintenance of biased sex ratios.
  • This occurs when the benefits of purging mutations balance the costs of sex ratio bias.

Conclusions:

  • Haploid selection acting on deleterious mutations provides a mechanism for stable, biased sex ratios in dioecious plants.
  • Extensive gene expression during the haploid stage in plants supports this evolutionary explanation.