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Inclusive fitness and sexual conflict: How population structure can modulate the battle of the sexes
Author(s) -
Pizzari Tommaso,
Biernaskie Jay M.,
Carazo Pau
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201400130
Subject(s) - intraspecific competition , competitor analysis , battle , inclusive fitness , sexual selection , selfishness , biology , sexual conflict , competition (biology) , coevolution , population , genetic fitness , experimental evolution , promiscuity , selection (genetic algorithm) , evolutionary biology , ecology , biological evolution , psychology , social psychology , genetics , demography , sociology , economics , geography , management , archaeology , artificial intelligence , computer science
Competition over reproductive opportunities among members of one sex often harms the opposite sex, creating a conflict of interest between individual males and females. Recently, this battle of the sexes has become a paradigm in the study of intersexual coevolution. Here, we review recent theoretical and empirical advances suggesting that – as in any scenario of intraspecific competition – selfishness (competitiveness) can be influenced by the genetic relatedness of competitors. When competitors are positively related (e.g. siblings), an individual may refrain from harming its competitor(s) and their mate(s) because this can improve the focal individual's inclusive fitness. These findings reveal that population genetic structure might be of paramount importance when studying the battle of the sexes. We conclude by identifying some new lines of research at the interface of sexual selection and social evolution.