Premium
REDUCING MUTATION LOAD THROUGH SEXUAL SELECTION ON MALES
Author(s) -
McGuigan Katrina,
Petfield Donna,
Blows Mark W.
Publication year - 2011
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.1558-5646.2011.01346.x
Subject(s) - biology , sexual selection , mutation accumulation , selection (genetic algorithm) , trait , genetics , genetic load , fixation (population genetics) , mutation , evolutionary biology , context (archaeology) , sexual conflict , mating , mutation rate , natural selection , ecological selection , population , gene , demography , machine learning , paleontology , sociology , computer science , programming language , inbreeding
Mutation load is a key parameter in evolutionary theories, but relatively little empirical information exists on the mutation load of populations, or the elimination of this load through selection. We manipulated the opportunity for sexual selection within a mutation accumulation divergence experiment to determine how sexual selection on males affected the accumulation of mutations contributing to sexual and nonsexual fitness. Sexual selection prevented the accumulation of mutations affecting male mating success, the target trait, as well as reducing mutation load on productivity, a nonsexual fitness component. Mutational correlations between mating success and productivity (estimated in the absence of sexual selection) were positive. Sexual selection significantly reduced these fitness component correlations. Male mating success significantly diverged between sexual selection treatments, consistent with the fixation of genetic differences. However, the rank of the treatments was not consistent across assays, indicating that the mutational effects on mating success were conditional on biotic and abiotic context. Our experiment suggests that greater insight into the genetic targets of natural and sexual selection can be gained by focusing on mutational rather than standing genetic variation, and on the behavior of trait variances rather than means.