Co‐evolution of male and female reproductive characters across the Scathophagidae (Diptera)

Minder, A. M.; Hosken, D. J.; Ward, Paul I.

doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2004.00799.x

Cited by 91 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(204 reference statements)

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“…In contrast to our findings, female D. melanogaster with longer seminal receptacles favor males producing longer sperm so that selection drives the evolutionary exaggeration of sperm length (24,25). Genetic covariances between female morphologies that bias paternity toward males with particular sperm characteristics are likely to underlie the increasing number of comparative analyses that are revealing evolutionary associations between sperm morphology and female reproductive tract morphology (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)34). The contrasting findings for Onthophagus and Drosophila illustrate how postcopulatory female preferences can generate divergent patterns of evolution across taxa and contribution to the rapid and divergent variation that is characteristic of sperm morphology.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

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Quantitative genetic correlation between trait and preference supports a sexually selected sperm process

Simmons

Kotiaho

2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Sperm show patterns of rapid and divergent evolution that are characteristic of sexual selection. Sperm competition has been proposed as an important selective agent in the evolution of sperm morphology. However, several comparative analyses have revealed evolutionary associations between sperm length and female reproductive tract morphology that suggest patterns of male-female coevolution. In the dung beetle Onthophagus taurus, males with short sperm have a fertilization advantage that depends on the size of the female's sperm storage organ, the spermatheca; large spermathecae select for short sperm. Sperm length is heritable and is genetically correlated with male condition. Here we report significant additive genetic variation and heritability for spermatheca size and genetic covariance between spermatheca size and sperm length predicted by both the ''goodsperm'' and ''sexy-sperm'' models of postcopulatory female preference. Our data thus provide quantitative genetic support for the role of a sexually selected sperm process in the evolutionary divergence of sperm morphology, in much the same manner as precopulatory female preferences drive the evolutionary divergence of male secondary sexual traits.male-female coevolution ͉ postcopulatory female choice ͉ sperm length F emale mating preferences are widely recognized as being responsible for the rapid and divergent evolution of male secondary sexual traits (1). Indicator or good gene models envisage genetic coupling between male sexual trait expression and offspring fitness, so that females with a preference for male traits produce offspring of greater viability (2). Once a preference becomes established, females choosing males with elaborate secondary sexual traits will produce sons that carry alleles for the trait and daughters that carry alleles for the preference, generating genetic coupling that will drive self-reinforcing coevolution of both trait and preference because of the mating advantage to males with the trait. Thus, the original viability benefits associated with the preference can be undermined by a runaway Fisherian sexy sons process (2). Analogous models have been proposed for postcopulatory female preferences (3). ''Good-sperm'' models predict positive genetic associations between a male's sperm competitiveness and the general viability of his offspring (4), whereas ''sexy-sperm'' models predict that multiply mating females produce sons successful in sperm competition and daughters that incite sperm competition through multiple mating (5, 6). As with precopulatory processes, postcopulatory models predict that the trait in males that determines fertilization success will become genetically coupled with the mechanism by which females bias sperm use toward preferred males (7).Although spermatozoa are well known for their rapid and divergent morphological variation (8, 9), little is known of the selective processes that drive sperm evolution. Patterns of divergent evolution are characteristic of strong sexual selection, and researchers have sugges...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…Associations between sperm lengths and the lengths of female reproductive ducts and/or sperm storage organs are well documented in the insects (19)(20)(21)(22)(23). These patterns of correlated evolution implicate selection processes imposed by females during the evolution of sperm morphology.…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Quantitative genetic correlation between trait and preference supports a sexually selected sperm process

Simmons

Kotiaho

2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…However, genitalia are thought to have co-evolved in both sexes (Eberhard, 1985;Minder et al 2005;Kinahan et al 2007), and the same pattern was not found in female golden moles. We suggest that multiple oestrus events per year may allow females to mate with several males and perhaps only allow complete copulations from males with the largest penises, or in some other way manipulate their ejaculates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Sexual selection and genital allometry in the Hottentot golden mole (Amblysomus hottentotus)

et al. 2013

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Under sexual selection, genitalia typically undergo rapid and divergent evolution across species and competition between the sexes over control of fertilisation may drive the co-evolution of male and female sexual traits. Sexual selection can, therefore, influence genitalia in three fundamental but non-mutually exclusive ways: 1) cryptic female choice, 2) sperm competition and 3) sexual conflict. Golden moles (Chrysochloridae) are a highly specialised family endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. We examined intra-specific genital allometry of both male and female subterranean Hottentot golden moles (Amblysomus hottentotus). Consistent with previous studies in mammals, we found positive allometry and a high coefficient of variation (CV) for male genitalia.The results for female reproductive tract length of A. hottentotus contrast with the findings of previous studies as isometry was recorded. Based on the allometric 2 relationships of both males and females presented here, we suggest that the males do not sequester females and that in the absence of visual cues the female may use penis size as an indicator of phenotypic quality.

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“…The size of the amoeboid sperm influences paternity in bulb mites (Radwan, 1996) and nematodes (LaMunyon and Ward, 1999), and the length of a non-fertilizing sperm influences paternity in a snail (Oppliger et al, 2003), but generally, the fitness consequences of intra-specific sperm size variation are unclear (Pitnick et al, 2009). However, across species, sperm length often co-evolves with aspects of the female reproductive tract morphology (for example, Dybas and Dybas, 1981;Briskie et al, 1997;Minder et al, 2005). For example, across the Scathophagidae, sperm length scales significantly with the length of the duct leading to the female sperm store, but not with testis size (Minder et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, across species, sperm length often co-evolves with aspects of the female reproductive tract morphology (for example, Dybas and Dybas, 1981;Briskie et al, 1997;Minder et al, 2005). For example, across the Scathophagidae, sperm length scales significantly with the length of the duct leading to the female sperm store, but not with testis size (Minder et al, 2005). Identical sperm-female correlations have also been reported for other taxa (for example, Morrow and Gage, 2000), and experimental evolution studies provide some evidence that the benefits of sperm length depend on the dimensions of the female reproductive tract (Miller and Pitnick, 2002), as do within-species across-population studies .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response to selection and realized heritability of sperm length in the yellow dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Dobler

Hosken

2009

Heredity

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Sperm length shows considerable phenotypic variation both inter-and intra-specifically, but a general explanation for this variation is lacking. In addition, our understanding of the genetic variation underlying sperm length variation is also limited because there have been few studies on the genetics of sperm size. One factor that could explain the variation in sperm length is that length influences sperm competitiveness, and there is some evidence for this. However, in yellow dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria), microevolutionary responses to experimental variation at levels of sperm competition indicate that sperm length does not influence sperm competitiveness, although this lack of response may simply indicate sperm length lacks evolutionary potential (that is, it is constrained in some way), in spite of evidence that sperm length is heritable. Here we report on a laboratory study, in which we artificially selected upwards and downwards on sperm length in S. stercoraria. We found that sperm length significantly diverged after four generations of selection, but the response to selection was asymmetrical: upward selection generated a rapid response, but downward did not. We estimated the realized heritability of sperm length to be approximately 50%, which is consistent with previous sire-son estimates. We also assessed the fertility of males from upward and downward lines and found they did not differ. Results are discussed in the context of sperm competition.

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Co‐evolution of male and female reproductive characters across the Scathophagidae (Diptera)

Cited by 91 publications

References 100 publications

Quantitative genetic correlation between trait and preference supports a sexually selected sperm process

Quantitative genetic correlation between trait and preference supports a sexually selected sperm process

Sexual selection and genital allometry in the Hottentot golden mole (Amblysomus hottentotus)

Response to selection and realized heritability of sperm length in the yellow dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

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