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The coevolutionary dynamics of cryptic female choice.
Matthew C Kustra1, Suzanne H Alonzo1,2
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, United States.
Evolution Letters
|July 21, 2023
Summary
Cryptic female choice, where females influence fertilization success postmating, significantly impacts male ejaculate investment and sperm trait evolution. This evolutionary dynamic is important even with low sperm competition risk.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Sexual Selection
- Reproductive Strategies
Background:
- Sexual selection research often focuses on pre-mating traits, with less theoretical attention on post-mating interactions.
- Cryptic female choice, a mechanism where females bias fertilization success towards specific males, remains underexplored theoretically.
- Existing models often focus on male-mediated post-mating processes, potentially overlooking female influence on fertilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how nondirectional cryptic female choice influences post-mating trait evolution compared to male-only models.
- To examine the interplay between sperm competition risk, cryptic female choice strength, and sperm trait evolution.
- To understand the coevolutionary dynamics between female choice and male sperm traits under varying selective pressures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized simulation models to explore the evolutionary consequences of cryptic female choice.
- Varied parameters including the risk of sperm competition and the strength of cryptic female choice.
- Assessed the impact of trade-offs between sperm number and sperm traits on coevolutionary trajectories.
Main Results:
- Cryptic female choice can lead to reduced male investment in ejaculates compared to models without it.
- Genetic correlations between cryptic female choice and sperm traits evolved even under weak female choice and low sperm competition.
- High cryptic female choice and sperm competition risk drove extreme codivergence of traits, even with trade-offs, and male traits lagged female evolution.
Conclusions:
- Cryptic female choice plays a significant role in post-mating sexual selection and trait evolution, warranting further theoretical and empirical investigation.
- The influence of cryptic female choice is substantial even in systems with limited multiple mating or low sperm competition.
- Understanding cryptic female choice is crucial for a comprehensive view of sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive traits.
Keywords:
Fisherian Runaway Selectionindividual-based modelpostcopulatory sexual selectionreproductive isolationsperm competitionMore Related Videos
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