title: Negative frequency-dependent selection of sexually antagonistic alleles in Myodes glareolus.
abstract: Sexually antagonistic genetic variation, where optimal values of traits are sex-dependent, is known to slow the loss of genetic variance associated with directional selection on fitness-related traits. However, sexual antagonism alone is not sufficient to maintain variation indefinitely. Selection of rare forms within the sexes can help to conserve genotypic diversity. We combined theoretical models and a field experiment with Myodes glareolus to show that negative frequency-dependent selection on male dominance maintains variation in sexually antagonistic alleles. In our experiment, high-dominance male bank voles were found to have low-fecundity sisters, and vice versa. These results show that investigations of sexually antagonistic traits should take into account the effects of social interactions on the interplay between ecology and evolution, and that investigations of genetic variation should not be conducted solely under laboratory conditions.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Research, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland. mikael.mokkonen@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mokkonen
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kokko
authors.forename: Esa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koskela
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
authors.forename: Tapio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mappes
authors.forename: Henna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Martiskainen
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008098:Litter Size; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D012930:Social Dominance; D012931:Social Environment