scholarly journals Habitat light sets the boundaries for the rapid evolution of cichlid fish vision, while sexual selection can tune it within those limits

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1476-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph F. Schneider ◽  
Sina J. Rometsch ◽  
Julián Torres‐Dowdall ◽  
Axel Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Fish Vision

Male terminalia morphology of sixteen species of the Drosophila saltans group Sturtevant (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5061 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-544
Author(s):  
BRUNA EMILIA ROMAN ◽  
LILIAN MADI-RAVAZZI
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sibling Species ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Variable Structure ◽  
Diagnostic Feature ◽  
Internal Fertilization ◽  
Saltans Group

Male terminalia in insects with internal fertilization evolve more rapidly than other structures. The aedeagus is the most variable structure, making it a valuable diagnostic feature to distinguish species. The saltans group Sturtevant of Drosophila Fallén contains sibling species, that can be distinguished by their aedeagi. Here, we revised and illustrated the morphology of the male terminalia of the following species: Drosophila prosaltans Duda, 1927; D. saltans Sturtevant, 1916; D. lusaltans Magalhães, 1962; D. austrosaltans Spassky, 1957; D. septentriosaltans Magalhães, 1962; D. nigrosaltans Magalhães, 1962; D. pseudosaltans Magalhães, 1956; D. sturtevanti Duda, 1927; D. lehrmanae Madi-Ravazzi et al., 2021; D. dacunhai Mourão & Bicudo, 1967; D. milleri Magalhães, 1962; D. parasaltans Magalhães, 1956; D. emarginata Sturtevant, 1942; D. neoelliptica Pavan & Magalhães in Pavan, 1950; D. neosaltans Pavan & Magalhães in Pavan, 1950 and D. neocordata Magalhães, 1956. We found that phallic structures (e.g., the aedeagus) evolve more rapidly than periphallic structures (e.g., epandrium), being completely different among the subgroups and within them. This rapid evolution may be due to the action of sexual selection or to the potential role of those structures in speciation.  

Rapid evolution by sexual selection in a wild, invasive mammal

Evolution ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-748
Author(s):  
M. Aaron Owen ◽  
David C. Lahti
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Rapid Evolution

SEQUENTIAL FEMALE ASSESSMENT DRIVES COMPLEX SEXUAL SELECTION ON BOWER SHAPE IN A CICHLID FISH

Evolution ◽  
2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle A. Young ◽  
Martin J. Genner ◽  
Marcel P. Haesler ◽  
Domino A. Joyce
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Cichlid Fish

Sexual selection, parasites and bower height skew in a bower-building cichlid fish

1998 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTIN I TAYLOR ◽  
GEORGE F TURNER ◽  
ROSANNA L ROBINSON ◽  
JAY R STAUFFER JR
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Cichlid Fish

scholarly journals tartan underlies the evolution of male Drosophila genital morphology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna F. D. Hagen ◽  
Cláudia C. Mendes ◽  
Amber Blogg ◽  
Alex Payne ◽  
Kentaro M. Tanaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Organ Size ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
Genital Organ ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Bristle Number ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Drosophila Mauritiana ◽  
Male Genital

AbstractMale genital structures are among the most rapidly evolving morphological traits and are often the only features that can distinguish closely related species. This process is thought to be driven by sexual selection and may reinforce species separation. However, while the genetic basis of many phenotypic differences have been identified, we still lack knowledge about the genes underlying evolutionary differences in male genital organs and organ size more generally. The claspers (surstyli) are periphallic structures that play an important role in copulation in insects. Here we show that natural variation in clasper size and bristle number between Drosophila mauritiana and D. simulans is caused by evolutionary changes in tartan (trn), which encodes a transmembrane leucine-rich repeat domain protein that mediates cell-cell interactions and affinity differences. There are no fixed amino acid differences in trn between D. mauritiana and D. simulans but differences in the expression of this gene in developing genitalia suggest cis-regulatory changes in trn underlie the evolution of clasper morphology in these species. Finally, analysis of reciprocal hemizyotes that are genetically identical, except for which species the functional allele of trn is from, determined that the trn allele of D. mauritiana specifies larger claspers with more bristles than the allele of D. simulans. Therefore we have identified the first gene underlying evolutionary change in the size of a male genital organ, which will help to better understand the rapid diversification of these structures and the regulation and evolution of organ size more broadly.Significance StatementThe morphology of male genital organs evolves rapidly driven by sexual selection. However, little is known about the genes underlying genitalia differences between species. Identifying these genes is key to understanding how sexual selection acts on development to produce rapid phenotypic change. We have found that the gene tartan underlies differences between male Drosophila mauritiana and D. simulans in the size and bristle number of the claspers - genital projections that grasp the female during copulation. Moreover, since tartan encodes a protein that is involved in cell affinity, this may represent a new developmental mechanism for morphological change. Therefore, our study provides new insights into genetic and developmental bases for the rapid evolution of male genitalia and organ size more generally.

scholarly journals Heterospecific aggression differs predominately by species, rather than sex, in Lake Malawi cichlid fish

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily C. Moore ◽  
Reade B. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Lake Malawi ◽  
Male Aggression ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Heterospecific Aggression

ABSTRACTBecause of their striking diversity, Lake Malawi cichlid fish have been well studied for male aggression, particularly among dominant males of closely related sister species within the framework of mate-choice and speciation. However, aggression in females has been largely ignored, and variation in aggressive behaviors between more distantly-related taxa is not well understood despite its potential impact in a complex community structure. To better understand variation in patterns of aggression between species, we presented males and females from five species of Lake Malawi cichlid with a non-predator intruder and recorded all movement and aggressive acts. Additionally, we measured excreted cortisol levels the day after the intruder assay to evaluate one physiological aspect of stress response. We identified species-specific patterns in both specific aggressive acts, and overall level of aggression. Additionally, we found that sexual dimorphism in aggressive acts varies by species and act, where the species with the most aggressive males also has aggressive females. Additionally, cortisol levels vary by taxa, and are associated with restless behavior in the intruder assay, but not levels of aggression. These findings have bearing on understanding sex differences in aggression and their impact on community structure in this important model of rapid evolution.

scholarly journals Colour pattern predicts outcome of female contest competition in a sexually monomorphic fish

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 20180480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelika Ziegelbecker ◽  
Florian Richter ◽  
Kristina M. Sefc
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Black Body ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
Contest Competition ◽  
Social Competition ◽  
Female Territoriality ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Male Contests

Selection arising from social competition over non-mating resources, i.e. resources that do not directly and immediately affect mating success, offers a powerful alternative to sexual selection to explain the evolution of conspicuous ornaments, particularly in females. Here, we address the hypothesis that competition associated with the territoriality exhibited by both males and females in the cichlid fish Tropheus selects for the display of a conspicuous colour pattern in both sexes. The investigated pattern consists of a vertical carotenoid-coloured bar on a black body. Bar width affected the probability of winning in size-matched female–female, but not male–male, contests for territory possession. Our results support the idea that the emergence of female territoriality contributed to the evolution of sexual monomorphism from a dimorphic ancestor, in that females acquired the same conspicuous coloration as males to communicate in contest competition.

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