Presentation Detail

Selection, Sexual

Gering, Eben J. [1].

Male-like females increase male-male interactions, and reduce male fitness, in a female-polymorphic damselfly.

Sexually antagonistic coevolution can drive both population dynamics and speciation, but many potential effects of conflict-related traits have not been explored. This study examines a damselfly, Ischnura ramburii, in which two female color morphs co-occur, andexamines the role of female morph frequency in shaping male-male interactions and its consequences for male fitness. In female polymorphic damselflies (including I.ramburii), “andromorph� females, which resemble males, coexist with non-male-like “gynomorph� females. Andromorphs are thought to mimic males in order to avoid harassment, but males can also learn to cue on the prevailing morph and thus exert frequency-dependent harassment. I hypothesized that, in the presence of andromorphs, male-male interactions would increase due to increased gender recognition errors. As predicted, mesocosms populated with andromorphs showed more male-male interactions than mesocosms populated with gynomorphs. Further, increased andromorph frequency and male-male interaction was associated with significant reduction in male condition (body mass) and survival. Taken together, these findings suggest that a resistance trait (male-mimicry) can have indirect effects on male fitness components. These effects may be important for understanding the dynamics and consequences of sexually antagonistic coevolution.

1 - The University of Texas at Austin, Section of Integrative Biology, Patterson Labs #503; C0900, Austin, TX, 78705, USA

Keywords:
sexual conflict
Mimicry
frequency dependent selection
damselflies.

Presentation Type: Regular Oral Presentation
Session: 40
Location: Cotton A/Snowbird Center
Date: Saturday, June 22nd, 2013
Time: 4:45 PM
Number: 40006
Abstract ID:1299
Candidate for Awards:W.D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Student Presentation