Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Sexual selection arises from variation in individual reproductive success that is non-randomly associated with the characteristics of traits or behaviours exhibited by members of the same sex and species. It is brought about by ""intrasexual"" competition for matings and fertilizations (usually among males) and ""intersexual"" mate choice, (usually exerted by females). The latter process is thought to be central to the evolution of elaborate morphological, behavioural and physiological traits in males that might otherwise seem to be maladaptive, and the co-evolution of preferences for such exaggerated traits in females. For female preferences to change over time, there must be heritable genetic variation for preference genes, but as it stands we know very little about the genetic basis of mate choice, the extent of genetic and environmentally-induced variation in mate choice, and whether differences in mate preferences are adaptive or not. The proposed research is designed to address this dearth of information on a subject that is of great importance in assessing much of the theory concerning processes of sexual selection and speciation.This work will be conducted using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, a model species that has served extensively as a model for courtship and mating behaviour, and in which a number of powerful genetic tools are available. Using a technique called hemiclone analysis to screen 99% of the entire fly genome, I propose to explore the extent (and genomic location) of genetic variation in female preferences and male display traits, how developmental environmental conditions affect the expression of the female preferences and male display traits, as well as measure the fitness costs and benefits associated with fitness mate preferences. This research will address the large gaps in our knowledge concerning the role that variation in female preferences plays in determining the rate and trajectory of sexual selection, and will also enrich the fields of evolutionary genetics and behavioural ecology.