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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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Evolutionary Lability of Sexual Selection and Its Implications for Speciation and Macroevolution.

Matheus Januario, Renato C Macedo-Rego, Daniel L Rabosky

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    Sexual selection may drive speciation, but direct measures show no link to speciation rates across vertebrates. The rapid evolution of sexual selection traits limits its macroevolutionary impact.

    Keywords:
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    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Speciation research
    • Sexual selection studies

    Background:

    • Sexual selection is theorized to drive speciation and phenotypic evolution.
    • Previous comparative studies yielded mixed results, potentially due to reliance on proxy variables for sexual selection intensity.
    • Direct measures of sexual selection are needed for robust macroevolutionary analyses.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the relationship between the opportunity for sexual selection and phylogenetic speciation rates.
    • To assess whether direct indices of sexual selection correlate with speciation rates across a broad range of taxa.
    • To evaluate the reliability of common proxy variables like sexual dimorphism and dichromatism.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of phylogenetic speciation rates and direct indices of the opportunity for sexual selection in 82 vertebrate taxa.
    • Comparison of direct sexual selection indices with commonly used proxy variables (sexual dimorphism, dichromatism).
    • Assessment of phylogenetic signal and intraspecific variability in sexual selection indices.

    Main Results:

    • No significant correlation was found between the opportunity for sexual selection and speciation rate.
    • Widely used proxy variables (sexual dimorphism, dichromatism) did not correlate with direct sexual selection indices.
    • The opportunity for sexual selection exhibits low phylogenetic signal and high intraspecific variability.

    Conclusions:

    • Direct measures of sexual selection do not correlate with broad-scale speciation rates in vertebrates.
    • The evolutionary lability and high variability of sexual selection may limit its impact on macroevolutionary patterns of biodiversity.
    • This reconciles the microevolutionary importance of sexual selection with its limited macroevolutionary influence on speciation.