Absence of direct sexual selection for parasitoid encapsulation in

Birds in which both sexes produce complex songs are thought to be more common in the tropics than in temperate areas, where typically only males sing. Yet the role of phylogeny in this apparent relationship between female song and latitude has never been examined. Here, we reconstruct evolutionary changes in female song and breeding latitude in the New World blackbirds (Icteridae), a family with both temperate and tropical representatives. We provide strong evidence that members of this group have moved repeatedly from tropical to temperate breeding ranges and, furthermore, that these range shifts were associated with losses of female song more often than expected by chance. This historical perspective suggests that male-biased song production in many temperate species is the result not of sexual selection for complex song in males but of selection against such songs in females. Our results provide new insights into the differences we see today between tropical and temperate songbirds, and suggest that the role of sexual selection in the evolution of bird song might not be as simple as we think.

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Sexual Selection for Male Sacrifice in the Australian Redback Spider

Science ◽

10.1126/science.271.5245.70 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 271 (5245) ◽

pp. 70-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 228

Author(s):

M. C. B. Andrade

Keyword(s):

Sexual Selection ◽

Selection For

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Disruptive sexual selection for plumage coloration in a passerine bird

Nature ◽

10.1038/35039500 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 407 (6807) ◽

pp. 1000-1003 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Erick Greene ◽

Bruce E. Lyon ◽

Vincent R. Muehter ◽

Laurene Ratcliffe ◽

Steven J. Oliver ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Selection ◽

Passerine Bird ◽

Plumage Coloration ◽

Selection For

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Macroevolutionary consequences of sexual conflict

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2018.0186 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 20180186

Author(s):

Jo S. Hermansen ◽

Jostein Starrfelt ◽

Kjetil L. Voje ◽

Nils C. Stenseth

Keyword(s):

Sexual Selection ◽

Genetic Architecture ◽

Time Frame ◽

Sexual Conflicts ◽

Males And Females ◽

Selection For ◽

Evolutionary Consequences ◽

Future Work ◽

Shared Genetic

Intralocus sexual conflicts arise whenever the fitness optima for a trait expressed in both males and females differ between the sexes and shared genetic architecture constrains the sexes from evolving independently towards their respective optima. Such sexual conflicts are commonplace in nature, yet their long-term evolutionary consequences remain unexplored. Using a Bayesian phylogenetic comparative framework, we studied the macroevolutionary dynamics of intersexual trait integration in stalk-eyed flies (Diopsidae) spanning a time frame of more than 25 Myr. We report that increased intensity of sexual selection on male eyestalks is associated with reduced intersexual eyestalk integration, as well as sex-specific rates of eyestalk evolution. Despite this, lineages where males have been under strong sexual selection for millions of years still exhibit high levels of intersexual trait integration. This low level of decoupling between the sexes may indicate that exaggerated female eyestalks are in fact adaptive—or alternatively, that there are strong constraints on reducing trait integration between the sexes. Future work should seek to clarify the relative roles of constraints and selection in contributing to the varying levels of intersexual trait integration in stalk-eyed flies, and in this way clarify whether sexual conflicts can act as constraints on adaptive evolution even on macroevolutionary time scales.

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The mitonuclear compatibility hypothesis of sexual selection

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2013.1314 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 280 (1768) ◽

pp. 20131314 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Geoffrey E. Hill ◽

James D. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Sexual Selection ◽

Oxidative Phosphorylation ◽

Evolutionary Biology ◽

Mitochondrial Genes ◽

Cellular Respiration ◽

Central Question ◽

Typical Pattern ◽

Selection For ◽

Indicator Traits ◽

Compatibility Hypothesis

Why females assess ornaments when choosing mates remains a central question in evolutionary biology. We hypothesize that the imperative for a choosing female to find a mate with nuclear oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes that are compatible with her mitochondrial OXPHOS genes drives the evolution of ornaments. Indicator traits are proposed to signal the efficiency of OXPHOS function thus enabling females to select mates with nuclear genes that are compatible with maternal mitochondrial genes in the formation of OXPHOS complexes. Species-typical pattern of ornamentation is proposed to serve as a marker of mitochondrial type ensuring that females assess prospective mates with a shared mitochondrial background. The mitonuclear compatibility hypothesis predicts that the production of ornaments will be closely linked to OXPHOS pathways, and that sexual selection for compatible mates will be strongest when genes for nuclear components of OXPHOS complexes are Z-linked. The implications of this hypothesis are that sexual selection may serve as a driver for the evolution of more efficient cellular respiration.

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Understanding sex differences in the cost of terrestrial locomotion

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2011.1334 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 279 (1729) ◽

pp. 826-832 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

John J. Lees ◽

Robert L. Nudds ◽

Lars P. Folkow ◽

Karl-Arne Stokkan ◽

Jonathan R. Codd

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Sexual Selection ◽

Male And Female ◽

Locomotor System ◽

Terrestrial Locomotion ◽

Female Data ◽

Selection For ◽

Morphological Differences ◽

Lagopus Muta ◽

The Cost

Little is known regarding the physiological consequences of the behavioural and morphological differences that result from sexual selection in birds. Male and female Svalbard rock ptarmigans ( Lagopus muta hyperborea ) exhibit distinctive behavioural differences during the breeding season. In particular, males continuously compete for and defend territories in order to breed successfully, placing large demands on their locomotor system. Here, we demonstrate that male birds have improved locomotor performance compared with females, showing both a lower cost of locomotion (CoL) and a higher top speed. We propose that the observed sex differences in locomotor capability may be due to sexual selection for improved male performance. While the mechanisms underlying these energetic differences are unclear, future studies should be wary when pooling male and female data.

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Symmetry and humans: reply to Mithen's ‘Sexy Handaxe Theory’

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00098197 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 83 (319) ◽

pp. 195-198 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Derek Hodgson

Keyword(s):

Sexual Selection ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Facial Symmetry ◽

Genetic Link ◽

Physical Traits ◽

Selection For ◽

Actual Health

In reply to Machin's criticism of Kohn and Mithen's (1999) 'Sexy Handaxe Theory' in a recent Antiquity debate (Machin 2008: 761-6), Mithen (2008: 766-9) states that sexual selection is still relevant to the symmetry of Acheulean handaxes because this provides the only theory that can account for the various features typical of such artefacts. This conclusion may be misconceived, however, due to the conflation of the various factors relating to symmetry, attractiveness, and health. Crucially, recent studies have not found a genetic link based on sexual selection for physical traits based on symmetry. For example, Koehler et al. (2002) established that there was no difference in preference for the symmetry of male faces by females nearing conception compared to those females taking contraceptives. Similarly, Rhodes et al. (2001) found that, although there might be a link between facial symmetry and perceived health, there was no correlation between facial symmetry and actual health.

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