Sexually selected male weapon is associated with lower inbreeding load but higher sex load in the bulb mite.

ABSTRACT: Elaborate sexually selected ornaments and armaments are costly but increase the reproductive success of their bearers (usually males). It has been postulated that high-quality males can invest disproportionately more in such traits, making those traits honest signals of genetic quality. However, genes associated with such traits may have sexually antagonistic effects on fitness. Here, using a bulb mite Rhizoglyphus robini, a species in which a distinct dimorphism exists between males in the expression of a sexually selected weapon, we compare inbreeding and gender load between lines derived from armed fighters and unarmed scramblers. After four generations of sib-mating, inbreeding depression for female fitness was significantly lower in fighter-derived lines compared to scrambler-derived

SUBMITTER: Lukasiewicz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7496443 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature