Meiotic drive and evolution of female choice.
As a special version of the good-genes hypothesis, it was recently proposed that females could benefit from choosing drive-resistant males in a meiotic drive system. Here, we examine with a three-locus, six-allele population genetic model whether female choice for drive resistance can evolve. An allele leading to female preference for drive-resistant males was introduced at low frequency into a population polymorphic for meiotic drive and drive resistance. Our simulations show that female choice of drive-resistant males is disadvantageous when resistance is Y-linked. This disadvantage occurs because, at equilibrium, drive-resistant males have lower reproductive success than drive-susceptible males. Thus, female choice of drive-susceptible males can evolve when resistance is Y-linked. When resistance is autosomal, selection on female choice for drive resistance is less strong and depends on the frequency of choice: female preference of resistant males is favoured when choice is rare and disadvantageous when choice is frequent, leading to a stable equilibrium at a low frequency of the choice allele. Independent of the location of drive resistance alleles, males with the non-driving allele always have above average reproductive success. Female choice is therefore beneficial when choosy females prefer males with the non-driving allele.
Reinhold
K
K
Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Okologie, Universität Bonn, Germany. kreinhold@evolution.uni-bonn.de
Engqvist
L
L
Misof
B
B
Kurtz
J
J
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010152:Pair Bond; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic