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Measuring sexual selection on females in sex‐role‐reversed Mormon crickets ( Anabrus simplex , Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)
Author(s) -
ROBSON L. J.,
GWYNNE D. T.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02021.x
Subject(s) - tettigoniidae , biology , sexual selection , selection (genetic algorithm) , mating , orthoptera , operational sex ratio , sperm competition , mate choice , zoology , ecological selection , cricket , evolutionary biology , directional selection , mating system , genetics , genetic variation , artificial intelligence , computer science , gene
Although many studies examine the form of sexual selection in males, studies characterizing this selection in females remain sparse. Sexual selection on females is predicted for sex‐role‐reversed Mormon crickets, Anabrus simplex , where males are choosy of mates and nutrient‐deprived females compete for matings and nutritious nuptial gifts. We used selection analyses to describe the strength and form of sexual selection on female morphology. There was no positive linear sexual selection on the female body size traits predicted to be associated with male preferences and female competition. Instead, we detected selection for decreasing head width and mandible length, with stabilizing selection as the dominant form of nonlinear selection. Additionally, we tested the validity of a commonly used instantaneous measure of mating success by comparing selection results with those determined using cumulative mating rate. The two fitness measures yielded similar patterns of selection, supporting the common sampling method comparing mated and unmated fractions.