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Antagonistic coevolution under sexual conflict

Härdling, Roger LU and Smith, Henrik LU (2005) In Evolutionary Ecology 19(2). p.137-150
Abstract
The theory of sexual conflict predicts that sexual coevolution will be very dynamic, with in principle perpetual evolutionary arms races and chases. These arms races are expected to stop once the costs of conflict adaptations become too high. We argue that this prediction is contingent on specific assumptions about the sexual interaction and the adaptations involved in the arms race. More generally, evolutionary arms races stop when the fitness benefit of further escalations is outweighed by the fitness costs. For this it is not necessary that the absolute costs of conflict must be high at the stable state, or that the population fitness must be decreased at equilibrium. We expect the outcome of sexual antagonistic coevolution to be... (More)
The theory of sexual conflict predicts that sexual coevolution will be very dynamic, with in principle perpetual evolutionary arms races and chases. These arms races are expected to stop once the costs of conflict adaptations become too high. We argue that this prediction is contingent on specific assumptions about the sexual interaction and the adaptations involved in the arms race. More generally, evolutionary arms races stop when the fitness benefit of further escalations is outweighed by the fitness costs. For this it is not necessary that the absolute costs of conflict must be high at the stable state, or that the population fitness must be decreased at equilibrium. We expect the outcome of sexual antagonistic coevolution to be determined by the possibility to reach compromises and by the relative ability of each sex to control the outcome of the interaction. We exemplify with a theoretical conflict model, which leads to population extinction when conflict is settled by armaments with expression-level determined costs. The model predicts a compromise with small conflict costs for the population, if costs are in addition determined by the extent of conflict between the sexes, which may be the case when the cost depends on behavioural antagonism. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Evolutionary Ecology
volume
19
issue
2
pages
137 - 150
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000231806500004
  • scopus:24644490905
ISSN
1573-8477
DOI
10.1007/s10682-004-7917-3
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
99931769-d01e-4e09-8233-a248b71b28d2 (old id 145260)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:25:51
date last changed
2022-01-27 03:38:31
@article{99931769-d01e-4e09-8233-a248b71b28d2,
  abstract     = {{The theory of sexual conflict predicts that sexual coevolution will be very dynamic, with in principle perpetual evolutionary arms races and chases. These arms races are expected to stop once the costs of conflict adaptations become too high. We argue that this prediction is contingent on specific assumptions about the sexual interaction and the adaptations involved in the arms race. More generally, evolutionary arms races stop when the fitness benefit of further escalations is outweighed by the fitness costs. For this it is not necessary that the absolute costs of conflict must be high at the stable state, or that the population fitness must be decreased at equilibrium. We expect the outcome of sexual antagonistic coevolution to be determined by the possibility to reach compromises and by the relative ability of each sex to control the outcome of the interaction. We exemplify with a theoretical conflict model, which leads to population extinction when conflict is settled by armaments with expression-level determined costs. The model predicts a compromise with small conflict costs for the population, if costs are in addition determined by the extent of conflict between the sexes, which may be the case when the cost depends on behavioural antagonism.}},
  author       = {{Härdling, Roger and Smith, Henrik}},
  issn         = {{1573-8477}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{137--150}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Evolutionary Ecology}},
  title        = {{Antagonistic coevolution under sexual conflict}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10682-004-7917-3}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10682-004-7917-3}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2005}},
}