Phenotypic plasticity, genotype x environment interaction, and the sexual selection process
-
1
Université François Rabelais de Tours ; CNRS UMR 7261, CNRS UMR 7261, France
‘Indirect benefits’ models of sexual selection propose that mates are chosen based on their ‘genetic quality’, which is reliably indicated by sexual advertisement signals and courtship behavior. When we consider how indirect benefits models may function in natural populations, one of several difficulties encountered are environmental influences on the genetic quality and indicator signals that a given genotype displays. That is, most traits are expected to exhibit a certain level of plasticity across environmental gradients. Moreover, genotypes may respond in different ways to environmental changes across space or time, and a given genotype might show the ‘superior’ quality and signaling in one environment but the inferior one in another. Thus, a chosen mate’s quality and signaling may not appear in the F1 generation if the environment shifts or offspring disperse to different environments. Here, I present findings on phenotypic plasticity and genotype x environment interaction (GEI) in the development and male courtship song of the ultrasonic pyralid moth Achroia grisella. I show how female choice for ‘attractive’ male songs may not necessarily yield offspring of superior viability, and song features. I also discuss the restricted circumstances under which the reliability of male song as an indicator of offspring quality might yet persist. Finally, I present recent findings on genetic variance, phenotypic plasticity, and gei in female response and preference for male song in A. grisella, and I show how the reliability of male song can either increase or decrease when both male signal and female response traits are subject to GEI.
Keywords:
animal communication,
evolutionary genetics,
Sexual selection
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Invited Symposium (only for people who have been invited to a particular symposium)
Topic:
Evolution
Citation:
Greenfield
M
(2012). Phenotypic plasticity, genotype x environment interaction, and the sexual selection process.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00017
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
11 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Prof. Michael Greenfield, Université François Rabelais de Tours ; CNRS UMR 7261, CNRS UMR 7261, Tours, France, michael.greenfield@univ-tours.fr