Sexual Conflict Flashcards
What is sexual conflict?
Arises when the reproductive aims of females and males do not unite. Disruptive selection has produced divergent reproductive rates.
Males prioritise quantity through competition.
Females prioritise quality through choice.
What are the 4 types of sexual conflict?
1) Direct conflict - too many males
2) Genetic conflict - non-preferred males
3) Indirect conflict - costs arising from male:male competition.
4) Intragenomic conflict - the same genome codes for two sexes.
What are some of the costs of mating?
Time wasting - brimstone butterfly mating lasting for 7 days.
Predation risk - Copulating/guarding male water striders increase female predation and reduce foraging efficiency.
Injury or trauma - 10% of female mallards drowned by male mating attempts.
Pathogen transmission - Wolbachia bacteria infect huge range of invertebrates and can generate offspring infertility.
Disruption of reproductive pair bonds - Monogamy divorces increase as extra pair paternity increases.
Costs arising from male:male competition adaptations - Drosophila males produce accessory gland products in their seminal fluid which are toxic to female lifespans.
Infanticide - Common in mammals, nearly half of 260 mammal species analysed.
How can sexual conflict influence speciation?
Male-female arms races could lead to more/faster reproductive isolation. Copelatus beetle species are only distinguished by the male genitalia. Increasing sexual conflict in Sepsis flies reduced reproductive compatibility between populations.
