Sexual selection leads to positive allometry but not sexual dimorphism in the expression of horn shape in the blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus.

ABSTRACT: Sexual selection is thought to be an important driver of adaptation, speciation and extinction. Empirically testing these predictions across macroevolutionary timescales first requires an understanding of the morphology of secondary sexual traits in extant taxa. We used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to analyse a large sample of the skull of the blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus, in which horns are found in both sexes but only used in intrasexual competition in males. We show that the horns fit several predictions of secondary sexual traits; overall skull shape is significantly correlated with size (R² = 0.38, p = 0.001), and the sexually selected horns show drastically higher growth rates and variation than any other skull element, supporting previous findings.

SUBMITTER: Gerstenhaber C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9464394 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature