Sex differences in developmental plasticity and canalization shape population divergence in mate preferences

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Biology
• Behavioral Ecology
• Speciation

Background:

• Sexual selection for mates can conflict with species recognition, especially when mate preference traits overlap between species.
• Developmental plasticity and learned preferences may resolve this conflict by driving divergence in mate preferences.
• Understanding sex-specific differences in plasticity is crucial for explaining population divergence under gene flow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how sex differences in developmental plasticity influence population divergence in mate preferences.
• To examine the role of learned versus fixed mate recognition in damselflies.
• To assess the impact of local species composition on mate preference evolution.

Main Methods:

• Field and laboratory experiments on two Calopterygid damselfly species.
• Integration of population genetic data.
• Comparative analysis of male and female mate recognition mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Male species recognition is fixed at emergence, while females learn to recognize heterospecifics, exhibiting greater plasticity.
• Females show more pronounced population divergence in mate preferences than males.
• Local ecological context, presence of heterospecifics, and sex-specific plasticity shape divergence.

Conclusions:

• Sex differences in developmental plasticity, particularly in females, drive population divergence in mate preferences.
• Learned mate preferences in females can facilitate coexistence of species in secondary contact zones.
• Developmental plasticity may be a key mechanism preventing local species extinction due to environmental change and habitat fragmentation.