Multivariate selection drives concordant patterns of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in a livebearing fish.

Alessandro Devigili,Andrea Pilastro,Jonathan P Evans,Andrea Di Nisio

doi:10.1038/ncomms9291

Alessandro Devigili, Andrea Pilastro + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9291

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Abstract

In many species, females mate with multiple partners, meaning that sexual selection on male traits operates across a spectrum that encompasses the competition for mates (that is, before mating) and fertilizations (after mating). Despite being inextricably linked, pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection are typically studied independently, and we know almost nothing about how sexual selection operates across this divide. Here we bridge this knowledge gap using the livebearing fish Poecilia reticulata. We show that both selective episodes, as well as their covariance, explain a significant component of variance in male reproductive fitness. Moreover, linear and nonlinear selection simultaneously act on pre- and postcopulatory traits, and interact to generate multiple phenotypes with similar fitness.

Highlights

IntroductionFemales mate with multiple partners, meaning that sexual selection on male traits operates across a spectrum that encompasses the competition for mates (that is, before mating) and fertilizations (after mating)
In many species, females mate with multiple partners, meaning that sexual selection on male traits operates across a spectrum that encompasses the competition for mates and fertilizations
In this paper we address this question by evaluating the relative contributions of male mating success (MMS) and postcopulatory success (PCS) in explaining male reproductive fitness

Summary

Introduction

Females mate with multiple partners, meaning that sexual selection on male traits operates across a spectrum that encompasses the competition for mates (that is, before mating) and fertilizations (after mating). A recent series of studies has adopted quantitative statistical approaches to partition variance in reproductive fitness into components attributable to mating (precopulatory) success and siring (postcopulatory) success[9,10,11,12] These studies are important because they quantitatively verify, and sometimes challenge, previously held assumptions that polyandry (female multiple mating) generates intense postcopulatory sexual selection on male (and female) traits. We quantify the relative contribution of these two components of fitness in explaining overall MRS To complement these analyses we use phenotypic data collected from each male across all populations to estimate the form, strength and direction of multivariate linear and nonlinear sexual selection on pre- and postcopulatory traits

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