title: Cumulative frequency-dependent selective episodes allow for rapid morph cycles and rock-paper-scissors dynamics in species with overlapping generations.
abstract: Rock-paper-scissors (RPS) dynamics, which maintain genetic polymorphisms over time through negative frequency-dependent (FD) selection, can evolve in short-lived species with no generational overlap, where they produce rapid morph frequency cycles. However, most species have overlapping generations and thus, rapid RPS dynamics are thought to require stronger FD selection, the existence of which yet needs to be proved. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that two cumulative selective episodes, FD sexual selection reinforced by FD selection on offspring survival, generate sufficiently strong selection to generate rapid morph frequency cycles in the European common lizard Zootoca vivipara, a multi-annual species with major generational overlap. These findings show that the conditions required for the evolution of RPS games are fulfilled by almost all species exhibiting genetic polymorphisms and suggest that RPS games may be responsible for the maintenance of genetic diversity in a wide range of species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain luis.sanjosegarcia@unil.ch.
authors.forename: Luis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: San-Jose
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peñalver-Alcázar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain.
authors.forename: Borja
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Milá
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Jimena
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, (IPE-CSIC), Jaca 22700, Spain Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain Fundación Araid, Zaragoza 50018, Spain patrick.fitze@unil.ch.
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Fitze
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005838:Genotype; D008116:Lizards / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008136:Longevity; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012641:Selection, Genetic
keywords: alternative strategies; evolutionary game theory; frequency-dependent selection; polymorphisms; sexual selection