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In hot pursuit: Fluctuating mating system and sexual selection in sand lizards
Citation
Olsson, M and Wapstra, E and Schwartz, T and Madsen, T and Ujvari, B and Uller, T, In hot pursuit: Fluctuating mating system and sexual selection in sand lizards, Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution, 65, (2) pp. 574-583. ISSN 0014-3820 (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
The definitive published version is available online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
Official URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
DOI: doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01152.x
Abstract
A changing climate is expected to have profound effects on many aspects of ectotherm biology. We report on a decade-long
study of free-ranging sand lizards (Lacerta agilis), exposed to an increasing mean mating season temperature and with known
operational sex ratios. We assessed year-to-year variation in sexual selection on body size and postcopulatory sperm competition
and cryptic female choice. Higher temperature was not linked to strength of sexual selection on body mass, but operational
sex ratio (more males) did increase the strength of sexual selection on body size. Elevated temperature increased mating rate
and number of sires per clutch with positive effects on offspring fitness. In years when the "quality" of a female’s partners was
more variable (in standard errors of a male sexual ornament), clutches showed less multiple paternity. This agrees with prior
laboratory trials in which females exercised stronger cryptic female choice when male quality varied more. An increased number
of sires contributing to within-clutch paternity decreased the risk of having malformed offspring. Ultimately, such variation may
contribute to highly dynamic and shifting selection mosaics in the wild, with potential implications for the evolutionary ecology
of mating systems and population responses to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Climate change, mating system, multiple paternity, operational sex ratio, temperature. |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Population ecology |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments |
| Objective Field: | Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems |
| UTAS Author: | Wapstra, E (Professor Erik Wapstra) |
| ID Code: | 69581 |
| Year Published: | 2011 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 51 |
| Deposited By: | Zoology |
| Deposited On: | 2011-05-02 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-10-31 |
| Downloads: | 3 View Download Statistics |
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