Condition-dependent mutation rates and sexual selection.
'Good genes' models of sexual selection show that females can gain indirect benefits for their offspring if male ornaments are condition-dependent signals of genetic quality. Recurrent deleterious mutation is viewed as a major contributor to variance in genetic quality, and previous theoretical treatments of 'good genes' processes have assumed that the influx of new mutations is constant. I propose that this assumption is too simplistic, and that mutation rates vary in ways that are important for sexual selection. Recent data have shown that individuals in poor condition can have higher mutation rates, and I argue that if both male sexual ornaments and mutation rates are condition-dependent, then females can use male ornamentation to evaluate their mate's mutation rate. As most mutations are deleterious, females benefit from choosing well-ornamented mates, as they are less likely to contribute germline-derived mutations to offspring. I discuss some of the evolutionary ramifications of condition-dependent mutation rates and sexual selection.
Cotton
S
S
Research Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, UK. s.cotton@ucl.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*