NEGATIVE FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT SELECTION IN FEMALE COLOR POLYMORPHISM OF A DAMSELFLY

Negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS) is one of the most powerful selective forces maintaining genetic polymorphisms in nature. Recently many prospective cases of polymorphisms by NFDS have been reported. Some of them are very complicated, although strongly supportive of the NFDS. Here we in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolution 2010-12, Vol.64 (12), p.3620-3628
Main Authors: Takahashi, Yuma, Yoshimura, Jin, Morita, Satoru, Watanabe, Mamoru
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Animals
Color
Demography
Eggs
Evolution
Female
Female animals
Female reproductive success
Genes, Insect
Genetics
Harassment
Insecta - genetics
Insects
Ischnura senegalensis
Japan
Male
Male animals
male harassment
mathematical model
Mating behavior
morph frequency oscillation
Morphology
Oviposition
Pigmentation - genetics
Polymorphism
Polymorphism, Genetic
Population dynamics
Population size
Reproductive success
Selection, Genetic
sexual conflict
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS) is one of the most powerful selective forces maintaining genetic polymorphisms in nature. Recently many prospective cases of polymorphisms by NFDS have been reported. Some of them are very complicated, although strongly supportive of the NFDS. Here we investigate NFDS in wild populations of the dimorphic damselfly Ischnura senegalensis, in which females occur as andromorphs and gynomorphs. Specifically, we (1) test fitness responses to morph frequencies, (2) built a simple population genetic model, and (3) compare the observed and predicted morph-frequency dynamics. Fitnesses of the two morphs are an inverse function of its own frequency in a population, and are about equal when their frequencies are similar. Thus the conditions necessary for NFDS are satisfied. The long-term field surveys show that the morph frequencies oscillate with a period of two generations. Morph frequencies in a small population undergo large oscillations whereas those in a large population do small oscillations. The demographic properties of the observed dynamics agree well with those of our model. This example is one of the simplest confirmed cases of NFDS maintaining genetic polymorphisms in nature.
ISSN:0014-3820
1558-5646
DOI:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01083.x