scholarly journals Consequences of population structure for sex allocation and sexual conflict

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor R. Rodrigues ◽  
Mario Torralba Sáez ◽  
João Alpedrinha ◽  
Sophie Lefèvre ◽  
Muriel Brengues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Sex Allocation ◽  
Spider Mite ◽  
No Reduction ◽  
Female Fitness ◽  
Random Dispersal ◽  
Random Pairing ◽  
Offspring Sex ◽  
Theoretical Predictions

AbstractBoth sex allocation and sexual conflict can be modulated by spatial structure. However, how the interplay between the type of dispersal and the scale of competition simultaneously affects these traits in sub-divided populations is rarely considered.We investigated sex allocation and sexual conflict evolution in meta-populations of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae evolving under budding (pairing females from the same patch) or random (pairing females from different patches) dispersal and either local (fixed sampling from each subpopulation) versus global (sampling as a function of subpopulation productivity) competition.Females evolving under budding dispersal produced less female-biased offspring sex ratios than those from the random dispersal selection regimes, contradicting theoretical predictions. In turn, the scale of competition did not have a strong effect on sex allocation. Males evolved under budding dispersal induced less female harm than those exposed to random dispersal, but there was no reduction in female fitness following exposure to multiple mates from either selection regime.This work highlights that population structure can impact the evolution of sex allocation and sexual conflict. We also discuss how selection on either trait may reciprocally affect the evolution of the other, for example via effects on fecundity.

scholarly journals Consequences of population structure for sex allocation and sexual conflict

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor Rodrigues ◽  
Mario Torralba Sáez ◽  
João Alpedrinha ◽  
Sophie Lefèvre ◽  
Muriel Brengues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Sex Allocation

scholarly journals Transgenerational cues about local mate competition affect offspring sex ratios in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison B. Duncan ◽  
Cassandra Marinosci ◽  
Céline Devaux ◽  
Sophie Lefèvre ◽  
Sara Magalhães ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Tetranychus Urticae ◽  
Sex Allocation ◽  
Spider Mite ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Mate Competition ◽  
Maternal Environment ◽  
Offspring Sex Ratio ◽  
Offspring Sex ◽  
Local Mate

ABSTRACTThis preprint has been reviewed and recommended by Peer Community In Evolutionary Biology (https://doi.org/10.24072/pci.evolbiol.100051). In structured populations, competition for mates between closely related males, termed Local Mate Competition (LMC), is expected to select for female-biased offspring sex ratios. However, the cues underlying sex allocation decisions remain poorly studied. Here, we test for several cues in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, a species that was previously found to adjust the sex ratio of its offspring in response to the number of females within the local population, i.e. a patch. We here investigate whether the offspring sex ratio of T. urticae females changes in response to 1) the current number of females in the same patch, 2) the number of females in the patches of their mothers and 3) their relatedness to their mate. Single females on patches produced similar sex ratios to those of groups of 15 females; their mothers had been in identical conditions of panmixia. The offspring sex ratios of females mated with their brother did not differ from those of females mated with an unrelated male. Females however produced a more female-biased offspring sex ratio if their mothers were alone on a patch compared to 15 other females. Thus, maternal environment is used as a cue for the sex allocation of daughters. We discuss the conditions under which the maternal environment may be a reliable predictor of LMC experienced by grand-sons.

scholarly journals Sex allocation and population structure in apicomplexan (protozoa) parasites

2000 ◽  
Vol 267 (1440) ◽  
pp. 257-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart A. West ◽  
Todd G. Smith ◽  
Andrew F. Read
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Sex Allocation

scholarly journals Quantifying the gender load: can population crosses reveal interlocus sexual conflict?

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1466) ◽  
pp. 363-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan A.F Long ◽  
Robert Montgomerie ◽  
Adam K Chippindale
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Population Differentiation ◽  
Population Divergence ◽  
Mating Frequency ◽  
Female Reproduction ◽  
Female Fitness ◽  
Antagonistic Coevolution ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution

Six sister populations of Drosophila melanogaster kept under identical environmental conditions for greater than 600 generations were reciprocally crossed to investigate the incidence of population divergence in allopatry. Population crosses directly influenced fitness, mating frequency, and sperm competition patterns. Changes in both female remating rate and the outcome of male sperm competition (P 1 , P 2 ) in response to foreign males were consistent with intersexual coevolution. Moreover, seven of the 30 crosses between foreign mates resulted in significant reductions in female fitness, whereas two resulted in significant increases, compared to local matings. This tendency for foreign males to reduce female fitness may be interpreted as evidence for either sexually antagonistic coevolution or the disruption of mutualistic interactions. However, instances in which female fitness improved via cohabitation with foreign males may better reveal sexual conflict, signalling release from the cost of interacting with locally adapted males. By this metric, female reproduction in D. melanogaster is strongly constrained by local adaptation by males, a situation that would promote antagonistic coevolution between the sexes. We conclude that sexual selection can promote population differentiation in allopatry and that sexual conflict is likely to have played a role in population differentiation in this study system.

scholarly journals Sperm sex ratio adjustment in a mammal: perceived male competition leads to elevated proportions of female-producing sperm

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 20190929
Author(s):  
Renée C. Firman ◽  
Jamie N. Tedeschi ◽  
Francisco Garcia-Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sex Allocation ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Female Offspring ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Offspring Sex ◽  
Sex Ratio Adjustment ◽  
Adaptive Adjustment ◽  
Male House

Mammal sex allocation research has focused almost exclusively on maternal traits, but it is now apparent that fathers can also influence offspring sex ratios. Parents that produce female offspring under conditions of intense male–male competition can benefit with greater assurance of maximized grand-parentage. Adaptive adjustment in the sperm sex ratio, for example with an increase in the production of X-chromosome bearing sperm (CBS), is one potential paternal mechanism for achieving female-biased sex ratios. Here, we tested this mechanistic hypothesis by varying the risk of male–male competition that male house mice perceived during development, and quantifying sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity. Our analyses revealed that males exposed to a competitive ‘risk’ produced lower proportions of Y-CBS compared to males that matured under ‘no risk’ of competition. We also explored whether testosterone production was linked to sperm sex ratio variation, but found no evidence to support this. We discuss our findings in relation to the adaptive value of sperm sex ratio adjustments and the role of steroid hormones in socially induced sex allocation.

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