Predation shapes sperm performance surfaces in guppies.

ABSTRACT: Sperm velocity is a key determinant of competitive fertilization success in many species. Selection is therefore expected to favour the evolution of faster sperm when the level of sperm competition is high. However, several aspects can determine the direction and strength of selection acting on this key performance trait, including ecological factors that influence both sperm competition and the strength of selection acting on correlated traits that may constrain evolutionary responses in sperm velocity. Here, we determine how a key ecological variable, the level of predation, shapes sperm swimming speed across 18 Trinidadian populations of guppies ( Poecilia reticulata). We use performance analysis, a statistical tool akin to the familiar methods of multivariate selection analyses, to det

SUBMITTER: Devigili A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6599975 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature