Sexual selection on morphological and physiological traits and fluctuating asymmetry in the yellow dung fly

Blanckenhorn, Wolf U.; Kraushaar, Urs; Reim, Constanze

doi:10.1046/j.1420-9101.2003.00587.x

Cited by 76 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…While this is the general pattern (reviewed in Hosken and Stockley, 2004), work on one of our study species (S. stercoraria) found paired and unpaired males in the field did not differ in clasper length (Blanckenhorn et al, 2003). However, that study only considers one component of sexual selection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 44%

Male Genital Allometry in Scathophagidae (Diptera)

2005

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Male genital structures are extremely divergent across species and sexual selection is largely responsible. Many sexually selected traits show positive allometry and have high phenotypic coefficients of variation (CV). Sexually-selected genital traits that come into contact with females during copula may be an exception to this general pattern. We compared the within species size allometry of the genital claspers, mandibular palps, and testes in a comparative study across the Scathophagidae. We additionally compared the levels of phenotypic variation in these traits and in hind tibia length. Within species, claspers typically displayed negative allometry and had low CV, indicative of stabilizing selection. In contrast, testis size was more like sexually selected display traits, typically being positively allometric and having very large CV. Palps tended to be positively allometric or isometric, and intermediate in levels of phenotypic variation, much like leg length. In spite of intraspecific stabilizing selection on the genital claspers, there has been major divergence of these characters across species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 44%

Male Genital Allometry in Scathophagidae (Diptera)

2005

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“…However, correcting for multiple tests has not become standard in selection analyses (e.g. Blanckenhorn et al 2003). Therefore, we also indicate results that are significant at the 0.05 level.…”

Section: Selection On Male Morphologymentioning

confidence: 56%

Selection on male size, leg length and condition during mate search in a sexually highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider

2004

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Mate search plays a central role in hypotheses for the adaptive significance of extreme female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in animals. Spiders (Araneae) are the only free-living terrestrial taxon where extreme SSD is common. The "gravity hypothesis" states that small body size in males is favoured during mate search in species where males have to climb to reach females, because body length is inversely proportional to achievable speed on vertical structures. However, locomotive performance of males may also depend on relative leg length. Here we examine selection on male body size and leg length during mate search in the highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider Argiope aurantia, using a multivariate approach to distinguish selection targeted at different components of size. Further, we investigate the scaling relationships between male size and energy reserves, and the differential loss of reserves. Adult males do not feed while roving, and a size-dependent differential energy storage capacity may thus affect male performance during mate search. Contrary to predictions, large body size was favoured in one of two populations, and this was due to selection for longer legs. Male size was not under selection in the second population, but we detected direct selection for longer third legs. Males lost energy reserves during mate search, but this was independent of male size and storage capacity scaled isometrically with size. Thus, mate search is unlikely to lead to selection for small male size, but the hypothesis that relatively longer legs in male spiders reflect a search-adapted morphology is supported.

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“…I n humans, as in other species, sex differences in size and shape are attributed to divergent effects of morphology on the survival or reproductive success of each sex (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). For human females, smaller waist relative to hips (WHR), larger breasts, and longer legs relative to height have been attributed to fecundity selection and are perceived as attractive by males (8,11,12).…”

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confidence: 99%

Fluctuating asymmetry and preferences for sex-typical bodily characteristics

Brown

Price

Kang

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Body size and shape seem to have been sexually selected in a variety of species, including humans, but little is known about what attractive bodies signal about underlying genotypic or phenotypic quality. A widely used indicator of phenotypic quality in evolutionary analyses is degree of symmetry (i.e., fluctuating asymmetry, FA) because it is a marker of developmental stability, which is defined as an organism's ability to develop toward an adaptive end-point despite perturbations during its ontogeny. Here we sought to establish whether attractive bodies signal low FA to observers, and, if so, which aspects of attractive bodies are most predictive of lower FA. We used a 3D optical body scanner to measure FA and to isolate size and shape characteristics in a sample of 77 individuals (40 males and 37 females). From the 3D body scan data, 360°videos were created that separated body shape from other aspects of visual appearance (e.g., skin color and facial features). These videos then were presented to 87 evaluators for attractiveness ratings. We found strong negative correlations between FA and bodily attractiveness in both sexes. Further, sextypical body size and shape characteristics were rated as attractive and correlated negatively with FA. Finally, geometric morphometric analysis of joint configurations revealed that sex-typical joint configurations were associated with both perceived attractiveness and lower FA for male but not for female bodies. In sum, body size and shape seem to show evidence of sexual selection and indicate important information about the phenotypic quality of individuals.3D morphometrics ͉ body shape ͉ developmental stability ͉ sexual dimorphism ͉ sexual selection I n humans, as in other species, sex differences in size and shape are attributed to divergent effects of morphology on the survival or reproductive success of each sex (1-10). For human females, smaller waist relative to hips (WHR), larger breasts, and longer legs relative to height have been attributed to fecundity selection and are perceived as attractive by males (8,11,12). In human males, greater height, larger size, and shorter legs relative to height are believed to have arisen through sexual selection by enhancing success in male-male rivalry (6, 7) and by being more attractive to females (6, 12). In addition, pronounced secondary sex characteristics may be preferred because they are signals of a pathogen-resistant genotype (13). However, recent theoretical models suggest that high-quality signalers may be more resistant, equally resistant, or less resistant to pathogens, depending on life history trade-offs between reproductive effort, survival, and fecundity (14, 15). For example, high-quality males that produce costly signals may compromise their future survival but nonetheless be more fit than their low-quality competitors.If sex-typicality of body size and shape are attractive to the opposite sex because they indicate phenotypic quality, then these conspicuous sex-specific signals are expected to correlate negativ...

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Sexual selection on morphological and physiological traits and fluctuating asymmetry in the yellow dung fly

Cited by 76 publications

References 71 publications

Male Genital Allometry in Scathophagidae (Diptera)

Male Genital Allometry in Scathophagidae (Diptera)

Selection on male size, leg length and condition during mate search in a sexually highly dimorphic orb-weaving spider

Fluctuating asymmetry and preferences for sex-typical bodily characteristics

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