title: Fisher's sons' effect in sexual selection: absent, intermittent or just low experimental power?
abstract: The Fisherian sexual selection paradigm has been called the null model of sexual selection. At its heart is the expectation of a genetic correlation (rG) between female preference and male trait. However, recent meta-analysis has shown estimated correlations are often extremely weak and not statistically significant. We show here that systematic failure of studies to reject the null hypothesis that rG= 0 is almost certainly due to the low power of most experimental designs used. We provide an easy way to assess experimental power a priori and suggest that current data make it difficult to definitively test a key component of the Fisher effect.
authors: Center for Ecology and Conservation, The University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK.
authors: M D
authors: MD
authors: Sharma
authors: Center for Ecology and Conservation, The University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK.
authors: A J
authors: AJ
authors: Wilson
authors: Center for Ecology and Conservation, The University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK.
authors: D J
authors: DJ
authors: Hosken
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010641:Phenotype; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal
keywords: genetic correlation; genetic effects; indirect effects; intersexual genetic correlation; runaway sexual selection