Developmental costs of male sexual traits in the water strider Rheumatobates rileyi

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 917-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen P Westlake ◽  
Locke Rowe

Natural selection is thought to impose costs on sexually selected traits and thereby constrain their evolutionary modification. Where sexually selected traits involve increases in size or structural elaboration, development of the traits may be costly. Males of some species in the water strider genus Rheumatobates have dramatically elaborated antennae and legs. In a pair of experiments on Rheumatobates rileyi, we tested the hypothesis that in males, the development rate is decreased and mortality increased relative to unelaborated females during the final instar, when these traits were substantially developed. In the first experiment, we reared individual larvae through to adult that were brought into the laboratory during the third, fourth, and fifth (final) instars. The development rate was reduced and the mortality increased during the final intermolt period in males relative to females. The effect on development rate was highly significant, but the effect on mortality was not. Notably, there was no effect of sex on the duration of the fourth instar, when male modifications are not expressed. In a second experiment, 4 potentially cannibalistic adults were included with fifth-instar larvae. We found no effect of potential cannibals on either development rate or mortality of instars. However, as in the first experiment, the development rate was significantly reduced in males relative to females. Mortality of males was also higher than that of females, although this effect was not significant. Meta-analysis of all our mortality results indicate that mortality of developing fifth-instars was higher in males than in females. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that development of elaborate sexual traits in male R. rileyi is costly.

Author(s):  
Klaus Reinhold

This chapter discusses evidence and theory on sex chromosomal linkage of sexually selected traits that may be the key to a functional separation of sexual and natural selection. It reviews the evidence showing that the X chromosome has a disproportional share concerning the inheritance of sexually selected traits in animals with heterogametic males, and suggests a new explanation that relates this X bias with female choice of heterozygotic males. With numeric simulations, it shows that female choice of heterozygotic males is usually disadvantageous. Because this disadvantage cannot occur when females prefer X-linked male traits, preferential X linkage of sexually selected traits can be expected. As an alternative to fluctuating selection on sex-limited traits, the disadvantage of heterozygotic choice may thus explain the X bias observed for sexually selected traits.


2017 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 99-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.G.E. Gomes ◽  
W. Halfwerk ◽  
R.C. Taylor ◽  
M.J. Ryan ◽  
R.A. Page

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. e3001157
Author(s):  
William Toubiana ◽  
David Armisén ◽  
Séverine Viala ◽  
Amélie Decaras ◽  
Abderrahman Khila

Exaggerated sexually selected traits, often carried by males, are characterized by the evolution of hyperallometry, resulting in their disproportionate growth relative to the rest of the body among individuals of the same population. While the evolution of allometry has attracted much attention for centuries, our understanding of the developmental genetic mechanisms underlying its emergence remains fragmented. Here we conduct comparative transcriptomics of the legs followed by an RNA interference (RNAi) screen to identify genes that play a role in the hyperallometric growth of the third legs in the males of the water strider Microvelia longipes. We demonstrate that a broadly expressed growth factor, Bone Morphogenetic Protein 11 (BMP11, also known as Growth Differentiation Factor 11), regulates leg allometries through increasing the allometric slope and mean body size in males. In contrast, BMP11 RNAi reduced mean body size but did not affect slope either in the females of M. longipes or in the males and females of other closely related Microvelia species. Furthermore, our data show that a tissue-specific factor, Ultrabithorax (Ubx), increases intercept without affecting mean body size. This indicates a genetic correlation between mean body size and variation in allometric slope, but not intercept. Strikingly, males treated with BMP11 RNAi exhibited a severe reduction in fighting frequency compared to both controls and Ubx RNAi-treated males. Therefore, male body size, the exaggerated weapon, and the intense fighting behavior associated with it are genetically correlated in M. longipes. Our results support a possible role of pleiotropy in the evolution of allometric slope.


2001 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Jennions ◽  
Anders P. Moller ◽  
Marion Petrie

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1950) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy A. Valencia-Montoya ◽  
Tiago B. Quental ◽  
João Filipe R. Tonini ◽  
Gerard Talavera ◽  
James D. Crall ◽  
...  

Male butterflies in the hyperdiverse tribe Eumaeini possess an unusually complex and diverse repertoire of secondary sexual characteristics involved in pheromone production and dissemination. Maintaining multiple sexually selected traits is likely to be metabolically costly, potentially resulting in trade-offs in the evolution of male signals. However, a phylogenetic framework to test hypotheses regarding the evolution and maintenance of male sexual traits in Eumaeini has been lacking. Here, we infer a comprehensive, time-calibrated phylogeny from 379 loci for 187 species representing 91% of the 87 described genera. Eumaeini is a monophyletic group that originated in the late Oligocene and underwent rapid radiation in the Neotropics. We examined specimens of 818 of the 1096 described species (75%) and found that secondary sexual traits are present in males of 91% of the surveyed species. Scent pads and scent patches on the wings and brush organs associated with the genitalia were probably present in the common ancestor of Eumaeini and are widespread throughout the tribe. Brush organs and scent pads are negatively correlated across the phylogeny, exhibiting a trade-off in which lineages with brush organs are unlikely to regain scent pads and vice versa . In contrast, scent patches seem to facilitate the evolution of scent pads, although they are readily lost once scent pads have evolved. Our results illustrate the complex interplay between natural and sexual selection in the origin and maintenance of multiple male secondary sexual characteristics and highlight the potential role of sexual selection spurring diversification in this lineage.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Toubiana ◽  
David Armisén ◽  
Decaras Amélie ◽  
Abderrahman Khila

AbstractExaggerated sexually selected traits, often carried by males, are characterized by the evolution of hyperallometry, resulting in their disproportionate growth relative to the rest of the body 1–3. While the evolution of allometry has attracted much attention for centuries, our understanding of the developmental genetic mechanisms underlying its emergence remains fragmented 4,5. Here we show that the hyperallometric legs in the males of the water strider Microvelia longipes are associated with a specific signature of gene expression during development. Using RNAi knockdown, we demonstrate that a broadly expressed growth factor, Bone Morphogenetic Protein 11 (BMP11, also known as Growth Differentiation Factor 11), regulates leg allometries through increasing the allometric coefficient and mean body size in males. In contrast, BMP11 RNAi reduced mean body size but did not affect slope in females. Furthermore, our data show that a tissue specific factor, Ultrabithorax (Ubx), increases intercept without affecting mean body size. This indicates a genetic correlation between mean body size and variation in allometric slope, but not intercept. Strikingly, males treated with BMP11 RNAi exhibited a severe reduction in fighting frequency compared to both controls and Ubx RNAi-treated males. Overall, we demonstrate a genetic correlation between male body size, the exaggerated weapon, and the intense fighting behaviour associated with it in M. longipes. Our results provide evidence for a role of pleiotropy in the evolution of allometric slope.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kensuke Okada ◽  
Masako Katsuki ◽  
Manmohan D. Sharma ◽  
Katsuya Kiyose ◽  
Tomokazu Seko ◽  
...  

AbstractTheory shows how sexual selection can exaggerate male traits beyond naturally selected optima and also how natural selection can ultimately halt trait elaboration. Empirical evidence supports this theory, but to date, there have been no experimental evolution studies directly testing this logic, and little examination of possible associated effects on female fitness. Here we used experimental evolution of replicate populations of broad-horned flour-beetles to test for evolutionary effects of sex-specific predation on an exaggerated sexually selected male trait, while also testing for effects on female lifetime reproductive success. We found that populations subjected to male-specific predation evolved smaller sexually selected traits and this indirectly increased female fitness, seemingly through intersexual genetic correlations we documented. Predation solely on females had no effects. Our findings support fundamental theory, but also reveal novel outcomes when natural selection targets sex-limited sexually selected characters.


2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgiana S. Tryon ◽  
Sasha M. Collins ◽  
Elizabeth Felleman

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader Salari ◽  
Niloofar Darvishi ◽  
Behnam Khaledi-Paveh ◽  
Aliakbar Vaisi-Raygani ◽  
Rostam Jalali ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sleep disorders, which are among the foremost important medical care issues, are prevalent in pregnancy. The present study is a meta-analysis of the prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy. This study aims to systematically review the overall prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy through conducting a meta-analysis. Method The literature used in this meta-analysis for the topic discussed above were obtained through searching several databases, including SID, MagIran, IranDoc, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science (WoS), PubMed Science Direct and Google Scholar databases without time limitation until December 2020. Articles developed based on cross-sectional studies were included in the study. The heterogeneity of studies was investigated using the I2 index. Also, the possible effects of heterogeneity in the studied studies are investigated using meta-regression analysis. Result In 10 articles and 8798 participants aged between11–40, the overall prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy based on meta-analysis was 42.4% (95% CI: 32.9–52.5%). It was reported that as the sample size increases, the prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy increases. Conversely, as the year of research increases, the prevalence of insomnia in the third trimester of pregnancy decreases. Both of these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion Insomnia was highly prevalent in the last trimester of pregnancy. Sleep disorders are neglected among pregnant women, and they are considered natural. While sleep disturbances can cause mental and physical problems in pregnant women, they can consequently cause problems for the fetus. As a result, maintaining the physical and mental health of pregnant mothers is very important. It is thus recommended that in addition to having regular visits during pregnancy, pregnant women should also be continuously monitored for sleep-related disorders.


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