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Sex‐specific genotype‐by‐environment interactions for cuticular hydrocarbon expression in decorated crickets, G ryllodes sigillatus : implications for the evolution of signal reliability
Author(s) -
Weddle C. B.,
Mitchell C.,
Bay S. K.,
Sakaluk S. K.,
Hunt J.
Publication year - 2012
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.1420-9101.2012.02593.x
Subject(s) - biology , genotype , gene–environment interaction , phenotype , sexual selection , genetics , genetic variation , evolutionary biology , zoology , gene
Phenotypic traits that convey information about individual identity or quality are important in animal social interactions, and the degree to which such traits are influenced by environmental variation can have profound effects on the reliability of these cues. Using inbred genetic lines of the decorated cricket, G ryllodes sigillatus , we manipulated diet quality to test how the cuticular hydrocarbon ( CHC ) profiles of males and females respond across two different nutritional rearing environments. There were significant differences between lines in the CHC profiles of females, but the effect of diet was not quite statistically significant. There was no significant genotype‐by‐environment interaction ( GEI ), suggesting that environmental effects on phenotypic variation in female CHC s are independent of genotype. There was, however, a significant effect of GEI for males, with changes in both signal quantity and content, suggesting that environmental effects on phenotypic expression of male CHC s are dependent on genotype. The differential response of male and female CHC expression to variation in the nutritional environment suggests that these chemical cues may be under sex‐specific selection for signal reliability. Female CHC s show the characteristics of reliable cues of identity: high genetic variability, low condition dependence and a high degree of genetic determination. This supports earlier work showing that female CHC s are used in self‐recognition to identify previous mates and facilitate polyandry. In contrast, male CHC s show the characteristics of reliable cues of quality: condition dependence and a relatively higher degree of environmental determination. This suggests that male CHC s are likely to function as cues of underlying quality during mate choice and/or male dominance interactions.