Abstract
Female mate choice is a complex decision‐making process that involves many context‐dependent factors. In Drosophila melanogaster, a model species for the study of sexual selection, indirect genetic effects (IGEs) of general social interactions can influence female mate choice behaviors, but the potential impacts of IGEs associated with mating experiences are poorly understood. Here, we examined whether the IGEs associated with a previous mating experience had an effect on subsequent female mate choice behaviors and quantified the degree of additive genetic variation associated with this effect. Females from 21 different genetic backgrounds were housed with males from one of two distinct genetic backgrounds for either a short (3 hr) or long (48 hr) exposure period and their subsequent mate choice behaviors were scored. We found that the genetic identity of a previous mate significantly influenced a female's subsequent interest in males and preference of males. Additionally, a hemiclonal analysis revealed significant additive genetic variation associated with experience‐dependent mate choice behaviors, indicating a genotype‐by‐environment interaction for both of these parameters. We discuss the significance of these results with regard to the evolution of plasticity in female mate choice behaviors and the maintenance of variation in harmful male traits.
Highlights
Female mate choice is a powerful agent of selection that has led to the evolution of exaggerated male display traits and dimorphisms between the sexes in many taxa (Andersson, 1994; Darwin, 1871)
When analyzing the degree of genetic variation associated with experience-dependent mate choice behaviors, we found a significant effect of mating treatment on interest in males (LLR χ2 = 10.98, df = 1, p = .0009), with females that had been mated to “low-harm” males showing greater levels of association with males than those females who had been mated to “high-harm” males (Figure 1)
Our results indicate that the (1) indirect genetic effects associated with mating experience may shape subsequent female mate choice behaviors, (2) some of this variation is rooted in the presence of additive genetic variation in the population, and (3) the expression of this genetic variation is highly plastic
Summary
Female mate choice is a powerful agent of selection that has led to the evolution of exaggerated male display traits and dimorphisms between the sexes in many taxa (Andersson, 1994; Darwin, 1871). Previous studies have shown that IGEs are involved in female mate choice behavioral variation in the field cricket, T. oceanicus (Bailey & Zuk, 2012), and in the tree hopper, Enchenopa binotata (Rebar & Rodríguez, 2013) In the latter case, individuals housed with different families exhibited variation in their mate preferences, suggesting that does social experience influence the expression of mate choice behavior, but so does the genotype of the interacting individuals. Interactions between genetic and environmental factors have been shown to affect the expression of sexual traits (e.g., courtship behavior (Etges et al, 2007) and sperm length (Morrow, Leijon, & Meerupati, 2008)), but few studies have demonstrated that female choice can be affected (Ingleby et al, 2010) Identifying these interactions is important, because in order for plasticity in mate choice to evolve, there must be genetic variation in the way individuals behaviorally respond to environmental factors (Ingleby et al, 2010). By studying the potential role that the interaction between female genotype and mating experience contributes to individual variation in female male choice, this study helps advance our understanding of the complex nature of evolutionary change via sexual selection
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
