Abstract
The social structure of populations plays a key role in shaping variation in sexual selection. In nature, sexual selection occurs in communities of interacting species; however, heterospecifics are rarely included in characterizations of social structure. Heterospecifics can influence the reproductive outcomes of intrasexual competition by interfering with intraspecific sexual interactions (interspecific reproductive interference [IRI]). We outline the need for studies of sexual selection to incorporate heterospecifics as part of the social environment. We use simulations to show that classic predictions for the effect of social structure on sexual selection are altered by an interaction between social structure and IRI. This interaction has wide-ranging implications for patterns of sexual conflict and kin-selected reproductive strategies in socially structured populations. Our work bridges the gap between sexual selection research on social structure and IRI, and highlights future directions to study sexual selection in interacting communities.
Highlights
Decades of evidence have underscored the importance of sexual selection in driving the evolution of traits that mediate the outcome of intrasexual competition over reproductive success, often at the expense of members of the opposite sex (Darwin 1871; Andersson 1994; Arnqvist and Rowe 2005)
Interspecific reproductive interference (IRI) occurs when heterospecifics engage in sexual interactions that influence the reproductive success of the individuals involved (Groning and Hochkirch 2008; Burdfield-Steel and Shuker 2011)
Our work bridges the gap between sexual selection research and IRI, demonstrating that models of sexual selection in socially structured populations should incorporate the structure of the wider community
Summary
Aedes albopictus ejaculates sterilize female A. aegypti causing population reductions and rapid evolutionary change in A. aegypti in nature (Bargielowski et al 2013), whereas in plants, heterospecific pollen transfer limits coexistence of sexual and asexual lineages (Whitton et al 2017). Studies of sexual selection and social structure rarely incorporate heterospecifics, studies of heterospecific interactions rarely incorporate social structure (Fig. 1). We outline the need for studies of sexual selection to incorporate heterospecifics as part of the social environment and to account for the social complexity of these interacting populations. We use simulations to show that classic predictions for the effect of social structure on sexual selection are altered by IRI. We discuss the broader implications of IRI for patterns of sexual conflict and kin-selected reproductive strategies and highlight future research directions. Our work bridges the gap between sexual selection research and IRI, demonstrating that models of sexual selection in socially structured populations should incorporate the structure of the wider community
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