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De Nardo AN, Meena A, Maggu K, Eggs B, Sbilordo SH, Lüpold S. Experimental evolution reveals trade-offs between sexual selection and heat tolerance in Drosophila prolongata. Evolution 2025; 79:823-836. [PMID: 39964947 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2024] [Revised: 01/14/2025] [Accepted: 02/15/2025] [Indexed: 02/20/2025]
Abstract
Sexual selection promotes traits that enhance mating or fertilization success, but these traits can be very costly under harsh environmental conditions. The extent to which differential investment in costly traits under varying intensities of sexual selection is related to their susceptibility to environmental stress remains unclear. This study explored how experimental evolution under different operational sex ratios (OSRs) shapes traits and reproductive success of male Drosophila prolongata, and how developmental and/or adult heat stress affect the expression of these traits. We found males from even and slightly male-biased OSRs to be larger and display greater reduction in body size under developmental heat stress, suggesting pre-mating sexual selection on body size and condition-dependent thermal sensitivity. These populations also exhibited consistently high mating and fertilization success across temperatures, potentially indicating selection for robust phenotypes with "good genes" that perform well regardless of temperature. Conversely, males from strongly male-biased OSR populations experienced more pronounced decline in sperm competitiveness following exposure to developmental or adult heat stress. These results highlight how environmental stressors differentially impact populations, shaped by varying strengths of pre- and post-mating sexual selection. These observed patterns suggest potential interactions between past selection and the ability to adapt to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio N De Nardo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Abhishek Meena
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Komal Maggu
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Eggs
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sonja H Sbilordo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
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De Nardo AN, Biswas B, Perdigón Ferreira J, Meena A, Lüpold S. Socio-ecological context modulates the significance of territorial contest competition in Drosophila prolongata. Proc Biol Sci 2025; 292:20242501. [PMID: 39837512 PMCID: PMC11750366 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 12/02/2024] [Accepted: 12/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2025] Open
Abstract
The intensity and direction of sexual selection are intricately linked to the social and ecological context. Both operational sex ratios (OSRs) and population densities can affect the ability of males to monopolize resources and mates, and thus the form and intensity of sexual selection on them. Here, we studied how the mating system of the promiscuous and strongly sexually dimorphic fruit fly Drosophila prolongata responds to changes in the OSR and population density. We recorded groups of flies over five days and quantified territory occupancy, mating success (MS) and competitive fertilization success. Although sexual selection was stronger under male-biased than even OSRs but unrelated to density, realized selection on morphological traits was higher under even OSRs and increased with density. Larger and more territorial males achieved both higher MS and competitive fertilization success, but only under even OSRs. Our combined results also support a shift in the mating system from territorial contest competition to scramble competition under male-biased OSRs and potentially at low density, where there was no clear contribution of the measured traits to reproductive success. Our study emphasizes the limitations of traditional selection metrics and the role of the socio-ecological context in predicting adaptation to a changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio N. De Nardo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich8057, Switzerland
| | - Broti Biswas
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich8057, Switzerland
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, Zurich8008, Switzerland
| | - Jhoniel Perdigón Ferreira
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich8057, Switzerland
- Agroscope, Plant Protection Products – Impact and Assessment, Müller-Thurgau-Strasse 29, Wädenswil8820, Switzerland
| | - Abhishek Meena
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich8057, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich8057, Switzerland
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Kelly CD, Gwynne DT. Effect of body condition on mobility and mating success in a wild population of the scramble polygynous Cook Strait giant weta. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03278-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Boumaza M, Merabti B, Adjami Y, Ouakid ML, Carvajal TM. Geometric Morphometric Wing Analysis of Avian Malaria Vector, Culiseta longiareolata, from Two Locations in Algeria. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13111031. [PMID: 36354855 PMCID: PMC9693553 DOI: 10.3390/insects13111031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The application of geometric morphometry on mosquito wings (Culicidae) is considered a powerful tool for evaluating correlations between the phenotype (e.g., shape) and environmental or genetic variables. However, this has not been used to study the wings of the avian malaria vector, Culiseta longiareolata. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the intra-specific wing variations between male and female Cs. longiareolata populations in different types of larval habitats and climatic conditions in Algeria. A total of 256 Cs. longiareolata mosquito samples were collected from January 2020 to July 2021 in three cities (Annaba, El-Tarf, and Guelma) of northeastern Algeria that have two distinct climatic condition levels (sub-humid and sub-arid) and different types of larval habitats (artificial and natural). Nineteen (19) wing landmarks (LMs) were digitized and analyzed based on geometric morphometry. Our results revealed differences in the wing shape of female and male mosquito populations, indicating sexual dimorphism. Moreover, canonical variance analysis (CVA) showed that factors, such as climatic conditions and type of larval habitats, also affect the wing shape of female and male Cs. longiareolata mosquito populations. Furthermore, the wing shape of male populations was more distinct compared with female populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mounir Boumaza
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Badji Mokhtar University, B.P. 12, Annaba 23000, Algeria
- Ecology Laboratory of Marine and Coastal Environments (EMMAL), Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba 23000, Algeria
| | - Brahim Merabti
- Laboratory of Genetic, Biotechnology and Valorization of Bioresources (LGBVB), University of Biskra, Biskra 07000, Algeria
| | - Yasmine Adjami
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Badji Mokhtar University, B.P. 12, Annaba 23000, Algeria
- Ecology Laboratory of Marine and Coastal Environments (EMMAL), Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba 23000, Algeria
| | - Mohamed Laid Ouakid
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Badji Mokhtar University, B.P. 12, Annaba 23000, Algeria
- Ecology Laboratory of Marine and Coastal Environments (EMMAL), Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba 23000, Algeria
| | - Thaddeus M. Carvajal
- Department of Biology, College of Science, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines
- Ehime University-De La Salle University International Collaborative Research Laboratory, Laguna Campus, De La Salle University, Laguna 4024, Philippines
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Kelly CD. Can Patterns of Static Allometry be Inferred from Regimes of Sexual Selection in the Japanese Beetle? Evol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-022-09577-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Boisseau RP, Büscher TH, Klawitter LJ, Gorb SN, Emlen DJ, Tobalske BW. Multi-modal locomotor costs favor smaller males in a sexually dimorphic leaf-mimicking insect. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:39. [PMID: 35350992 PMCID: PMC8962604 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-01993-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In most arthropods, adult females are larger than males, and male competition is a race to quickly locate and mate with scattered females (scramble competition polygyny). Variation in body size among males may confer advantages that depend on context. Smaller males may be favored due to more efficient locomotion leading to higher mobility during mate searching. Alternatively, larger males may benefit from increased speed and higher survivorship. While the relationship between male body size and mobility has been investigated in several systems, how different aspects of male body morphology specifically affect their locomotor performance in different contexts is often unclear. Results Using a combination of empirical measures of flight performance and modelling of body aerodynamics, we show that large body size impairs flight performance in male leaf insects (Phyllium philippinicum), a species where relatively small and skinny males fly through the canopy in search of large sedentary females. Smaller males were more agile in the air and ascended more rapidly during flight. Our models further predicted that variation in body shape would affect body lift and drag but suggested that flight costs may not explain the evolution of strong sexual dimorphism in body shape in this species. Finally, empirical measurements of substrate adhesion and subsequent modelling of landing impact forces suggested that smaller males had a lower risk of detaching from the substrates on which they walk and land. Conclusions By showing that male body size impairs their flight and substrate adhesion performance, we provide support to the hypothesis that smaller scrambling males benefit from an increased locomotor performance and shed light on the evolution of sexual dimorphism in scramble competition mating systems. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-01993-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain P Boisseau
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.
| | - Thies H Büscher
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 9, 24098, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lexi J Klawitter
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Stanislav N Gorb
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 9, 24098, Kiel, Germany
| | - Douglas J Emlen
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Bret W Tobalske
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
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Abstract
Assortative mating is hypothesized to be a product of sexual selection, mating constraints, or temporal autocorrelation. I test these hypotheses in the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman, 1841), a sexually size dimorphic invasive insect pest in North America, by measuring the size and shape of bodies and wings of pair members in a wild population. Because male P. japonica prefer to mate with larger females and larger males outcompete rivals for mating opportunities, sexual selection is expected to produce size-related assortative mating. The current study did not support this hypothesis. The mating constraints hypothesis was also not supported because beetle pairs did not have similar body shapes. I, however, did find support for the temporal autocorrelation hypothesis as the wing size and shape of pair members were significantly correlated. This mating pattern likely arises due to individuals with larger and more slender wings arriving earlier at aggregation sites and pairing according to their arrival sequence. Although I found less support for the sexual selection hypothesis, I argue that mate choice might play an important, but secondary, role to temporal autocorrelation in explaining assortative mating in Japanese beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clint D. Kelly
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, Canada
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, Canada
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Abstract
Abstract
The mobility hypothesis argues that species in which males compete for mates in scrambles often exhibit female-biased size dimorphism because smaller male body size should increase male mobility and success in searching for mates. Sexual dimorphism can be further exaggerated if fecundity or sexual selection concurrently selects for larger female size. Scramble competition can select for trait characteristics that optimize locomotion; for example, long and slender wings should be favored if aerial speed is important to mating success. I tested these predictions in the scrambling Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), a female-biased size dimorphic insect pest that is invasive to North America. Multivariate selection analyses support the prediction that smaller body size and larger wings in males benefit their mating success. My analyses also revealed significant selection for larger wings in females but, contrary to prediction, direct sexual selection favors smaller body size in females. These results support the mobility hypothesis and partially explain the evolution of female-biased size dimorphism in this species. Sexual selection favored rounder bodies in females and more tapered bodies in males, whereas, in both sexes, the effect of wing shape appears less important to fitness than wing size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clint D Kelly
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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