One of Ernst Mayr's legacies is the consensus that the allopatry model is the predominant mode of speciation in most sexually reproducing lineages. In this model, reproductive isolation develops as a pleiotropic byproduct of the genetic divergence that develops among physically isolated populations. Presently, there is no consensus concerning which, if any, evolutionary process is primarily responsible for driving the specific genetic divergence that leads to reproductive isolation. Here, we focus on the hypothesis that inter-locus antagonistic coevolution drives rapid genetic divergence among allopatric populations and thereby acts as an important ''engine'' of speciation. We assert that only data from studies of experimental evolution, rather than descriptive patterns of molecular evolution, can provide definitive evidence for this hypothesis. We describe and use an experimental approach, called hemiclonal analysis, that can be used in the Drosophila melanogaster laboratory model system to simultaneously screen nearly the entire genome for both standing genetic variation within a population and the net-selection gradient acting on the variation. Hemiclonal analysis has four stages: (i) creation of a laboratory ''island population''; (ii) cytogenetic cloning of nearly genomewide haplotypes to construct hemiclones; (iii) measurement of additive genetic variation among hemiclones; and (iv) measurement of the selection gradient acting on phenotypic variation among hemiclones. We apply hemiclonal analysis to test the hypothesis that there is ongoing antagonistic coevolution between the sexes in the D. melanogaster laboratory model system and then discuss the relevance of this analysis to natural systems.sexual conflict ͉ inter-locus contest evolution ͉ sexually antagonistic coevolution ͉ reproductive isolation ͉ genetic divergence

We describe a graphical model of interlocus coevolution used to distinguish between the interlocus sexual conflict that leads to sexually antagonistic coevolution, and the intrinsic conflict over mating rate that is an integral part of traditional models of sexual selection. We next distinguish the 'laboratory island' approach from the study of both inbred lines and laboratory populations that are newly derived from nature, discuss why we consider it to be one of the most fitting forms of laboratory analysis to study interlocus sexual conflict, and then describe four experiments using this approach with Drosophila melanogaster. The first experiment evaluates the efficacy of the laboratory model system to study interlocus sexual conflict by comparing remating rates of females when they are, or are not, provided with a spatial refuge from persistent male courtship. The second experiment tests for a lag-load in males that is due to adaptations that have accumulated in females, which diminish male-induced harm while simultaneously interfering with a male's ability to compete in the context of sexual selection. The third and fourth experiments test for a lag-load in females owing to direct costs from their interactions with males, and for the capacity for indirect benefits to compensate for these direct costs.

Reproductive costs are an essential component of evolutionary theory. For instance, an increase in reproduction is generally coupled with a decrease in immunocompetence shortly after mating. However, recent work in Drosophila melanogaster suggests that the potential to mount an immune response, as measured by the levels of immune gene expression, increases after mating. These data are in contrast to previous studies, which suggest that mating can reduce a fly's ability to survive an actual bacterial challenge (realized immunity). This pattern may be driven by some aspect of mating, independent of resource limitation, which reduces immune function by inhibiting the effective deployment of immune gene products. Though several studies have examined both the potential and the realized immunity after mating, none have examined these immune measures simultaneously. Here, we examined the link between the potential and the realized immunity in a sterile mutant of D. melanogaster. Shortly after mating, we found that female immune gene expression was high, but survival against infection was low. Surprisingly, this pattern was reversed within 24 h. Thus, estimates of immunity based on gene expression do not appear to reflect an actual ability to defend against pathogens in the hours following copulation. We discuss the possible mechanisms that may account for this pattern.

The sexual conflict hypothesis predicts that males evolve traits that exploit the higher parental investment of females, which generates selection for females to counter‐evolve resistance. In Drosophila melanogaster it is now established that males harm females and that there is genetic variation among males for the degree of this harm. Genetic variation among females for resistance to harm from males, and the corresponding strength of selection on this variation, however, have not been quantified previously. Here we carryout a genome‐wide screen for female resistance to harm from males. We estimate that the cost of interactions with males depresses lifetime fecundity of females by 15% (95% CI: 8.2–22.0), that genetic variation for female resistance constitutes 17% of total genetic variation for female adult fitness, and that propensity to remate in response to persistent male courtship is a major factor contributing to genetic variation for female resistance.