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Gradient Evolution of Body Colouration in Surface- and Cave-Dwelling Poecilia mexicana and the Role of Phenotype-Assortative Female Mate Choice
Joint Authors
Penshorn, Marina
Hamfler, Sybille
Herbert, Denise B.
Appel, Jessica
Meyer, Philipp
Slattery, Patrick
Charaf, Sarah
Wolf, Raoul
Völker, Johannes
Berger, Elisabeth A. M.
Dröge, Janis
Wolf, Konstantin
Riesch, Rüdiger
Arias-Rodriguez, Lenin
Indy, Jeanne R.
Plath, Martin
Bierbach, David
Source
Issue
Vol. 2013, Issue 2013 (31 Dec. 2013), pp.1-15, 15 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2013-09-24
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
15
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Ecological speciation assumes reproductive isolation to be the product of ecologically based divergent selection.
Beside natural selection, sexual selection via phenotype-assortative mating is thought to promote reproductive isolation.
Using the neotropical fish Poecilia mexicana from a system that has been described to undergo incipient ecological speciation in adjacent, but ecologically divergent habitats characterized by the presence or absence of toxic H2S and darkness in cave habitats, we demonstrate a gradual change in male body colouration along the gradient of light/darkness, including a reduction of ornaments that are under both inter- and intrasexual selection in surface populations.
In dichotomous choice tests using video-animated stimuli, we found surface females to prefer males from their own population over the cave phenotype.
However, female cave fish, observed on site via infrared techniques, preferred to associate with surface males rather than size-matched cave males, likely reflecting the female preference for better-nourished (in this case: surface) males.
Hence, divergent selection on body colouration indeed translates into phenotype-assortative mating in the surface ecotype, by selecting against potential migrant males.
Female cave fish, by contrast, do not have a preference for the resident male phenotype, identifying natural selection against migrants imposed by the cave environment as the major driver of the observed reproductive isolation.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Bierbach, David& Penshorn, Marina& Hamfler, Sybille& Herbert, Denise B.& Appel, Jessica& Meyer, Philipp…[et al.]. 2013. Gradient Evolution of Body Colouration in Surface- and Cave-Dwelling Poecilia mexicana and the Role of Phenotype-Assortative Female Mate Choice. BioMed Research International،Vol. 2013, no. 2013, pp.1-15.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1030119
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Bierbach, David…[et al.]. Gradient Evolution of Body Colouration in Surface- and Cave-Dwelling Poecilia mexicana and the Role of Phenotype-Assortative Female Mate Choice. BioMed Research International No. 2013 (2013), pp.1-15.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1030119
American Medical Association (AMA)
Bierbach, David& Penshorn, Marina& Hamfler, Sybille& Herbert, Denise B.& Appel, Jessica& Meyer, Philipp…[et al.]. Gradient Evolution of Body Colouration in Surface- and Cave-Dwelling Poecilia mexicana and the Role of Phenotype-Assortative Female Mate Choice. BioMed Research International. 2013. Vol. 2013, no. 2013, pp.1-15.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1030119
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1030119