Ecology & Evolution of Sexual Selection

生态

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-06133
• 负责人: Long, Tristan
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Wilfrid Laurier University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=657939
• 关键词: Ecology; Evolution; Sexual; Selection

Sexual selection is a powerful agent of evolutionary change, as non-random mating increases individual variation in reproductive success, thereby altering the frequencies of alleles passed on from one generation to the next. While sexual selection is commonly associated with the evolution of elaborate morphological, behavioural and physiological traits in males, as well as preferences for some of these traits in females, there is a great deal that we still do not understand about its operation, and its short-and long-term impact on species adaptation & evolution.***The current proposal integrates behavioural, ecological, evolutionary & genetic techniques to test hypotheses in 2 (not-mutually exclusive) areas of research: (1) the continued & expanded study of the causes & consequences of variation in female mate preferences; (2) tests of whether sexual selection is complementary or antagonistic to natural selection. Our research will use 2 species of fruit flies: D. melanogaster, which has served extensively as a model for courtship/mating behaviour & in which a number of powerful genetic tools are available; and the spotted-wing fly, D. suzukii, an invasive (& economically destructive) species.***Area 1: While models of sexual selection assume, either implicitly or explicitly, that females all exhibit the same preferences for male traits, in reality, females often differ in their attraction towards prospective males. Inter-individual variation for mates alters the strength &/or direction of sexual selection, thereby altering a species' evolutionary trajectory. Despite its potential importance, variation in female mate choice has been largely overlooked. Over the next 5yrs we shall continue exploring the genetic & environmental factors contributing to this variation, & the impact of variation to lifetime reproductive success in both males & females. We shall test whether individual preference variation is due to the multitude of different (& possibly conflicting) signals presented by prospective mates. Using experimental evolution, we shall measure how female preferences evolve in response to manipulated costs/benefits of mating. ***Area 2: The question whether, sexual selection promotes or impedes adaptive evolution is contentious. If traits favoured by sexual selection are signals of overall “quality”, then non-random mating will complement natural selection. However, if traits that increase individual reproductive success come at a cost of survival (or to members of the opposite sex), then natural & sexual selection will act in opposition, thereby interfering with the ability of species to adapt to their environment. We plan to test this empirically testing this using experimental evolution using Drosophila sp. as the opportunity (& intensity) of sexual selection, as well as the environment, can be easily manipulated, & meaningful measurements of individual fitness can be made. **

性选择是进化变化的强大推动者，因为非随机交配增加了繁殖成功的个体差异，从而改变了等位基因从一代传到下一代的频率，而性选择通常与复杂的形态进化有关。尽管雄性的行为和生理特征，以及雌性对其中一些特征的偏好，但我们仍然不了解其运作及其对物种适应和进化的短期和长期影响。* **当前的提案整合了行为、生态、进化和遗传技术，用于检验 2 个（不相互排斥）研究领域的假设：(1) 对女性择偶偏好变化的原因和后果进行持续和扩展的研究；(2) 检验性选择是否是性选择的结果；我们的研究将使用两种果蝇：黑腹果蝇（D. melanogaster），它主要作为求偶/交配行为的模型，其中有许多强大的遗传工具可供使用；飞，D. suzukii，一种入侵性（和经济破坏性）物种。***区域 1：虽然性选择模型隐含或明确地假设雌性对雄性的不同特征都表现出相同的偏好，但实际上，雌性常常对雄性的吸引力感兴趣雄性的个体差异改变了性选择的强度和/或方向，从而改变了物种的进化轨迹，尽管它具有潜在的重要性，但在接下来的五年里，我们将继续忽视雌性配偶选择的变化。探索遗传学造成这种变化的环境因素，以及这种变化对男性和女性终生繁殖成功的影响，我们将使用实验来测试个体偏好的变化是否是由于潜在配偶提出的多种不同（可能是冲突的）信号造成的。 ***领域 2：性选择是否促进或阻碍适应性进化的问题是有争议的，如果性选择所青睐的特征是整体“的信号”。质量”，那么非随机交配将补充自然选择，但是，如果提高个体繁殖成功率的特征是以生存（或异性成员）为代价的，那么自然选择和性选择就会相反，干扰物种的能力。我们计划使用果蝇的实验进化来测试这一点，因为性选择的机会（和强度）以及环境可以很容易地操纵，并且可以对个体适应性进行有意义的测量。被制作。