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Mating strategies and sexual conflicts in aquatic invertebrates: consequences for evolutionary differentiation

Karlsson, Kristina LU (2010)
Abstract
In this thesis I investigated how mating related strategies may differ among populations and how these strategies evolve in response to their local ecological environments. I have used two different study systems of aquatic invertebrates: diving beetles (Dytiscidae) and the fresh water isopod Asellus aquaticus. These systems have in common that they present distinct genetic variation within the species: female polymorphism in the diving beetles and the occurrence of two ecotypes in the isopod. They also have in common that they are suggested to experience a conflict between the sexes over mating. In particular, I have addressed (i) how genetic polymorphism may be maintained in populations experiencing sexual conflict, (ii) the selection... (More)
In this thesis I investigated how mating related strategies may differ among populations and how these strategies evolve in response to their local ecological environments. I have used two different study systems of aquatic invertebrates: diving beetles (Dytiscidae) and the fresh water isopod Asellus aquaticus. These systems have in common that they present distinct genetic variation within the species: female polymorphism in the diving beetles and the occurrence of two ecotypes in the isopod. They also have in common that they are suggested to experience a conflict between the sexes over mating. In particular, I have addressed (i) how genetic polymorphism may be maintained in populations experiencing sexual conflict, (ii) the selection pressures acting on female polymorphism in diving beetles, (iii) the physical performance of the sexually antagonistic traits in diving beetles, (iv) parallel divergence and life-history consequences of precopulatory mate guarding in the two isopod ecotypes and (v) phenotypic plasticity in mating behaviour in response to demographic factors in the isopod ecotypes. I have also addressed the problem of how sexual conflict theory is conceptualised with regard to sex roles (vi). In my studies I have seen that behaviour and mating traits are to a large extent affected by ecological and demographic features. Within a species, the mating dynamics could differ dramatically between different populations and the evolutionary change in mating characteristics may be rapid. Mating characteristics can also change in parallel due to ecological similarities between populations. In the last study of this thesis it is shown that both the terminology and the features assigned to the sexes in theoretical models are highly sex-specific, and may reflect a stereotypic view of the sexes based on human sex roles. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Wedell, Nina, University of Exeter, UK
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Asellus aquaticus, Dytiscidae, gender bias, genetic polymorphism, mate guarding, parallel evolution, plasticity, population divergence, sexual conflict, sexually antagonistic selection, sexual selection
pages
138 pages
defense location
Blue Hall, Ecology Building, Sölvegatan 37
defense date
2010-11-26 09:30:00
ISBN
978-91-7473-054-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Animal Ecology (Closed 2011) (011012001)
id
e3db0ede-30bf-404f-afe7-48e5dfc8db75 (old id 1711740)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 13:55:28
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:17:12
@phdthesis{e3db0ede-30bf-404f-afe7-48e5dfc8db75,
  abstract     = {{In this thesis I investigated how mating related strategies may differ among populations and how these strategies evolve in response to their local ecological environments. I have used two different study systems of aquatic invertebrates: diving beetles (Dytiscidae) and the fresh water isopod Asellus aquaticus. These systems have in common that they present distinct genetic variation within the species: female polymorphism in the diving beetles and the occurrence of two ecotypes in the isopod. They also have in common that they are suggested to experience a conflict between the sexes over mating. In particular, I have addressed (i) how genetic polymorphism may be maintained in populations experiencing sexual conflict, (ii) the selection pressures acting on female polymorphism in diving beetles, (iii) the physical performance of the sexually antagonistic traits in diving beetles, (iv) parallel divergence and life-history consequences of precopulatory mate guarding in the two isopod ecotypes and (v) phenotypic plasticity in mating behaviour in response to demographic factors in the isopod ecotypes. I have also addressed the problem of how sexual conflict theory is conceptualised with regard to sex roles (vi). In my studies I have seen that behaviour and mating traits are to a large extent affected by ecological and demographic features. Within a species, the mating dynamics could differ dramatically between different populations and the evolutionary change in mating characteristics may be rapid. Mating characteristics can also change in parallel due to ecological similarities between populations. In the last study of this thesis it is shown that both the terminology and the features assigned to the sexes in theoretical models are highly sex-specific, and may reflect a stereotypic view of the sexes based on human sex roles.}},
  author       = {{Karlsson, Kristina}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-7473-054-8}},
  keywords     = {{Asellus aquaticus; Dytiscidae; gender bias; genetic polymorphism; mate guarding; parallel evolution; plasticity; population divergence; sexual conflict; sexually antagonistic selection; sexual selection}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Mating strategies and sexual conflicts in aquatic invertebrates: consequences for evolutionary differentiation}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/6237755/1713021.pdf}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}