| Title |
The genetic basis of traits regulating sperm competition and polyandry: can selection favour the evolution of good- and sexy-sperm?
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Genetica, July 2007
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s10709-007-9162-5 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Jonathan P. Evans, Leigh W. Simmons |
| Abstract |
The good-sperm and sexy-sperm (GS-SS) hypotheses predict that female multiple mating (polyandry) can fuel sexual selection for heritable male traits that promote success in sperm competition. A major prediction generated by these models, therefore, is that polyandry will benefit females indirectly via their sons' enhanced fertilization success. Furthermore, like classic 'good genes' and 'sexy son' models for the evolution of female preferences, GS-SS processes predict a genetic correlation between genes for female mating frequency (analogous to the female preference) and those for traits influencing fertilization success (the sexually selected traits). We examine the premise for these predictions by exploring the genetic basis of traits thought to influence fertilization success and female mating frequency. We also highlight recent debates that stress the possible genetic constraints to evolution of traits influencing fertilization success via GS-SS processes, including sex-linked inheritance, nonadditive effects, interacting parental genotypes, and trade-offs between integrated ejaculate components. Despite these possible constraints, the available data suggest that male traits involved in sperm competition typically exhibit substantial additive genetic variance and rapid evolutionary responses to selection. Nevertheless, the limited data on the genetic variation in female mating frequency implicate strong genetic maternal effects, including X-linkage, which is inconsistent with GS-SS processes. Although the relative paucity of studies on the genetic basis of polyandry does not allow us to draw firm conclusions about the evolutionary origins of this trait, the emerging pattern of sex linkage in genes for polyandry is more consistent with an evolutionary history of antagonistic selection over mating frequency. We advocate further development of GS-SS theory to take account of the complex evolutionary dynamics imposed by sexual conflict over mating frequency. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 141 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 3 | 2% |
| Argentina | 2 | 1% |
| Brazil | 2 | 1% |
| United States | 2 | 1% |
| Australia | 1 | <1% |
| Canada | 1 | <1% |
| Mexico | 1 | <1% |
| Germany | 1 | <1% |
| Spain | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 126 | 89% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 36 | 26% |
| Researcher | 33 | 23% |
| Student > Bachelor | 19 | 13% |
| Student > Master | 11 | 8% |
| Professor | 8 | 6% |
| Other | 26 | 18% |
| Unknown | 8 | 6% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 106 | 75% |
| Environmental Science | 6 | 4% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 3% |
| Social Sciences | 2 | 1% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 1% |
| Other | 5 | 4% |
| Unknown | 16 | 11% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 16 September 2015.
All research outputs
#7,452,489
of 22,783,848 outputs
Outputs from Genetica
#144
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Outputs of similar age
#24,519
of 68,220 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Genetica
#3
of 4 outputs
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