Condition-dependent signalling of genetic variation in stalk-eyed flies

@article{David2000ConditiondependentSO,
  title={Condition-dependent signalling of genetic variation in stalk-eyed flies},
  author={Patrice David and Tracey A. Bjorksten and Kevin Fowler and Andrew Pomiankowski},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2000},
  volume={406},
  pages={186-188},
  url={https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:4425172}
}
It is shown that genetic variation underlies the response to environmental stress of a sexual ornament (male eye span) in the stalk-eyed fly Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni, and this results strongly support the hypothesis that female mate choice yields genetic benefits for offspring.
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312 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
13
Background Citations
153
Methods Citations
8
Results Citations
14

312 Citations

The signalling function of eyespan in stalk-eyed flies (Diptera: Diopsidae)

It is found that male eyespan was more sensitive to changes in condition than female eyespan and other non- sexual traits, and showed a great increase in standardized phenotypic variance under stress, unlike non-sexual traits.

SEXUAL TRAITS ARE SENSITIVE TO GENETIC STRESS AND PREDICT EXTINCTION RISK IN THE STALK-EYED FLY, DIASEMOPSIS MEIGENII

The hypothesis that male sexual traits suffer more from inbreeding depression than nonsexual traits and are in line with predictions based on the handicap principle is supported.

CONDITION DEPENDENCE OF SEXUAL ORNAMENT SIZE AND VARIATION IN THE STALK‐EYED FLY CYRTODIOPSIS DALMANNI (DIPTERA: DIOPSIDAE)

Evaluation of male eyespan allows females to gain additional information about male condition over and above that given by body size, and accord well with condition‐dependent handicap models of sexual selection.

Condition dependence and the maintenance of genetic variance in a sexually dimorphic black scavenger fly

Quantitative genetic evidence in support of the genic capture model was inconsistent and weak at best, and genetic variance in fore femur width was low to nil, perhaps depleted by putatively strong sexual selection.

Eyespan reflects reproductive quality in wild stalk-eyed flies

It is shown that eyespan is a generic correlate of reproductive quality, acting as a reliable mirror of variation in reproductive fitness in both sexes, and the covariance between female eyespan and reproductive output suggests that the former may be a reliable cue of quality in its own right.

Heightened condition-dependence of the sexual transcriptome as a function of genetic quality in Drosophila melanogaster head tissue

It is found that sex-biased genes show heightened condition-dependent expression in both sexes, and that expression in low condition males and females regresses towards a more similar expression profile, supporting the fundamental predictions of the theory of condition-dependence when condition is a function of genetic quality.

Female mate choice and male ornamentation in the stalk-eyed fly, diasemopsis meigenii

It is shown that choosiness and selection, but not the preference function, are elevated in mated females, and evidence is found for the heightened condition dependence of the male sexual trait (male eyespan), and for a novel gene-by-environment interaction.

Heightened condition dependence is not a general feature of male eyespan in stalk‐eyed flies (Diptera: Diopsidae)

The finding that eyespan is a sensitive indicator of food stress, even in an unexaggerated state, suggests that this may have acted as a pre‐adaptation to the role of eyespan in sexual signalling in other Diopsid species.

Low inbreeding depression in a sexual trait in the stalk-eyed fly Teleopsis dalmanni

The results provide weak support for genic capture hypothesis because the magnitude of inbreeding depression in male eyespan was considerably lower than that typically observed for life-histories; in fact, it fitted within the range typically characterizing morphological traits.

On the evolution of heightened condition dependence of male sexual displays

Testing how a suite of cuticular hydrocarbons used in sexual displays are affected by adult diet and the potential for any condition‐dependent response to evolve in a laboratory‐adapted population of the Australian fruit fly Drosophila serrata suggests that there is limited opportunity for males to evolve further condition dependence in response to yeast availability.
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16 References

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EVOLUTION OF CONDITION‐DEPENDENT SEX ORNAMENTS AND MATING PREFERENCES: SEXUAL SELECTION BASED ON VIABILITY DIFFERENCES

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THE EVOLUTION OF MATE PREFERENCES FOR MULTIPLE SEXUAL ORNAMENTS

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    Evolution; international journal of organic…
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The strong effect of natal environmental condition on the estimated heritability of forehead badge size suggests that the potential genetic benefit from mate choice vary according to environmental conditions, and may offer an explanation of the high heritabilites sometimes reported for such traits, despite their exposure to long‐term directional selection.

Patterns of fluctuating asymmetry in beetle horns: an experimental examination of the honest signalling hypothesis

It is concluded that while horn size may be an indication of male quality, the patterns of fluctuating asymmetry are not, and the hypothesis that sexual selection on secondary sexual traits should increase levels of fluctuate asymmetry is supported.

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It is demonstrated that, although sons resemble their fathers with respect to sexual ornamentation, this resemblance is mainly due to post-hatching environmental effects rather than shared genes, and it is shown that sons hatching early in the year have the largest ornaments.

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