week 8 Flashcards
Why do we get conflict?
- difference in investment gamete of male and female parents
- investment required in offspring success
Describe the trade off involved in investment in offspring
- investment in offspring is traded off with increase in investment and decrease in mating opportunities as they invest more in offspring
- parents are trying ti balance this offspring success with their loss of mating opportunties
Females benefit most when:
- they can produce offspring with the best quality male
- they get the greatest investment from male
males benefit most when:
- females invest in his offspirng instead of other males
- invest in current reproduction instead of future reproduction
What are some other investments?
- providing care for offspring
- time not able to mate
investing in current offspring reduces mating opportunities for___more than for ___
males, females
Describe the parent-offspring conflict
- offspring wants to extract as many resources as they can from parent (maximise recruitment of resurces)
- parent wants to limit to increase mating opportunity to invest in future offspring
- direct sibling has r=0.5, one offspring might benefit more by monopolising resource from parent than sharing them
Describe the genetic conflict
- paternal DNA = ‘this is my only shot’
- maternal DNA = shared with any other offspring, limit thr amount of resource extracted so theres some left for future efforts
Explain how insulin-like GF and igf2r receptor interplays?
- insulin-like growth factor → individuals extracting more resource and getting larger (expressed in paternal DNA but not maternal DNA)
- igf2r receptor. if activated it binds onto insulin-like growth factor and inhibits it
What is inter-loci sexual conflict
evolutionary conflict between sexes, where the male and females traits that interact are controlled by different loci
Explain inter-loci sexual conflict and what it leads to
- males evolve a strategy/physiology/morphology that increases reproductive success which is controlled by one locus
- this creates selective pressure on females which evolve resistance and is controlled by a different loci
- leads to ‘arms race’ between the sexes - referred to as ‘chase-away’ sexual selection
What are the three selective advantages male genes can cause in Drosophila females?
- Use his sperm instead of competitors.
- Produce more and better eggs immediately after mating.
- Reduce mating by decreasing female receptivity and attractiveness.
What is “mate manipulation” in Drosophila males?
Males transfer a toxic protein compound to females during mating to:
Maximize offspring production.
Decrease female longevity, reducing her chances of mating with other males.
What experiment was conducted to study male influence on Drosophila reproduction?
Male genitalia were microauterized to make them unable to transfer material during mating.
In populations where this was not done, females had lower survival rates.
Reproduction was found to decrease female longevity.
How does male-driven reproductive manipulation contribute to speciation?
Populations split, and feedback loops drive different female defenses.
These differences prevent interbreeding, leading to new species.
What is intra-locus sexual conflict
evolutionary conflict between sexes, where the male and female traits has a different optima controlled by the same locus
give an example of intra loci sexual conflict
in a species of fish, - males want bright colours - attractive to females but more obvious to predators
- females dont want bright colours - provides them no advantage
What is intra-locus sexual antagonism?
A genetic conflict where the same genes have opposite effects on fitness in males and females, leading to a “tug-of-war” rather than an evolutionary arms race.
What evolutionary dynamic does intra-locus sexual antagonism represent?
A “tug-of-war” where male and female optimal traits conflict, preventing one sex from fully optimizing fitness without disadvantaging the other.
What is required for intra-locus sexual conflict to occur?
Alleles must have contrasting fitness effects in males and females.
An allele beneficial to one sex is harmful to the other.
How is sexual antagonism expressed mathematically?
A1: Perfect female allele.
A2: Perfect male allele (e.g., brightly colored).
A1A2 in females: Fitness cost is t.
A1A1 in males: Fitness cost is s
What role does dominance (h) play in intra-locus sexual conflict?
h determines the dominance status of alleles, influencing how much of the fitness cost (t) is expressed when a female inherits A1A2.
What happens to a male inheriting A1A1 alleles?
Male fitness decreases by s due to inheriting traits optimized for female fitness, not male-specific traits like coloration or competitiveness.
What is the pseudo-autosomal region (PAR)?
A region on the sex chromosomes (X and Y) that allows homologous recombination (crossing over) during meiosis.
What happens if a locus is located on the pseudo-autosomal region?
It can cross over between X and Y chromosomes, facilitating genetic exchange
What happens if a locus is NOT on the pseudo-autosomal region of the male chromosome?
It cannot undergo crossing over with the X chromosome.
Over time, this contributes to the shrinkage of the Y chromosome.
Why do organisms cooperate despite it being potentially harmful to themselves?
Benefit others (altruism).
Serve the individual’s long-term self-interest (collective self-interest).
Lead to mutual benefits through reciprocity.
Be advantageous for related individuals through kin selection.
What is reciprocal altruism?
Cooperation with the expectation that the act will be repaid in the future, creating mutual benefits.
What is group selection, and why is it problematic?
Group selection: Acts benefiting the group rather than the individual.
Problems:
- Resource limitation restricts group growth.
- Dominance issues, like dominant females evicting subordinates.
- Not evolutionarily stable (ESS): Mutations enabling selfish behaviors can invade and outcompete group-oriented strategies.
What is an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS)?
A strategy that, once adopted by all members of a population, cannot be invaded or replaced by any alternative strategy.