Premium
TO WHAT EXTENT DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF SEX RATIO DISTORTERS INTERFERE?
Author(s) -
Engelstädter Jan,
Montenegro Horácio,
Hurst Gregory D. D.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2004.tb01612.x
Subject(s) - biology , meiotic drive , meiosis , zygote , genetics , x chromosome , sex ratio , y chromosome , evolutionary biology , chromosome , extinction (optical mineralogy) , sperm , gene , population , demography , sociology , paleontology , embryogenesis
Within the Diptera, two different selfish genetic elements are known to cause the production of female‐biased sex ratios: maternally inherited bacteria that kill male zygotes (male‐killers), and × chromosomes causing the degeneration of Y‐bearing sperm in males (meiotic drive). We here develop a mathematical model for the dynamics of these two sex‐ratio distorters where they co‐occur. We show that × chromosome meiotic drive elements can be expected to substantially lower the equilibrium frequency of male‐killers and can even lead to their extinction. Conversely, male‐killers can also decrease the equilibrium frequency of × drivers and cause their extinction. Thus, we predict that there will be some complementarity in the incidence of × chromosome meiotic drive and male‐killing in natural populations, with a lower than expected number of species bearing both elements.