title: Promiscuity resolves constraints on social mate choice imposed by population viscosity.
abstract: Population viscosity can have major consequences for adaptive evolution, in particular for phenotypes involved in social interactions. For example, population viscosity increases the probability of mating with close kin, resulting in selection for mechanisms that circumvent the potential negative consequences of inbreeding. Female promiscuity is often suggested to be one such mechanism. However, whether avoidance of genetically similar partners is a major selective force shaping patterns of promiscuity remains poorly supported by empirical data. Here, we show (i) that fine-scale genetic structure constrains social mate choice in a pair-bonding lizard, resulting in individuals pairing with genetically similar individuals, (ii) that these constraints are circumvented by multiple mating with less related individuals and (iii) that this results in increased heterozygosity of offspring. Despite this, we did not detect any significant effects of heterozygosity on offspring or adult fitness or a strong relationship between pair relatedness and female multiple mating. We discuss these results within the context of incorporating the genetic context dependence of mating strategies into a holistic understanding of mating system evolution.
authors.affiliation: School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 05, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia; Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
authors.forename: Geoffrey M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: While
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uller
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bordogna
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wapstra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D006579:Heterozygote; D007178:Inbreeding; D008116:Lizards / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D011157:Population Dynamics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
keywords: extra-pair paternity; heterozygosity; inbreeding avoidance; mate choice; mating systems; population viscosity; relatedness