Interlocus sexual conflict

Interlocus sexual conflict is a type of sexual conflict that occurs through the interaction of a set of antagonistic alleles at two or more different loci, or the location of a gene on a chromosome, in males and females, resulting in the deviation of either or both sexes from the fitness optima for the traits.[1] A co-evolutionary arms race is established between the sexes in which either sex evolves a set of antagonistic adaptations that is detrimental to the fitness of the other sex.[2] The potential for reproductive success in one organism is strengthened while the fitness of the opposite sex is weakened. Interlocus sexual conflict can arise due to aspects of male–female interactions such as mating frequency, fertilization, relative parental effort, female remating behavior, and female reproductive rate.[3]

As the sexes demonstrate a significant investment discrepancy for reproduction, interlocus sexual conflict can arise. To achieve reproductive success, a species member will display reproductive characteristics that enhance their ability to reproduce, regardless of whether the fitness of their mate is negatively affected.[4] Sperm production by males is substantially less biologically costly than egg production by females, and sperm are produced in much greater quantities. Consequently, males invest more energy into mating frequency, while females are choosier with mates and invest their energy into offspring quality.[5]

The evolutionary pathways resulting from interlocus sexual conflict form part of interlocus contest evolution, a theory describing the coevolution of different loci in a species through the process of intergenomic conflict.[6] This has led to the proposal that sexual antagonistic coevolution is fueled by interlocus sexual conflict.[6]

Well-evidenced examples come exclusively from the insect world, with the majority of research being conducted in yellow dung flies, Scathophaga stercoraria, and fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. Examples outside of these taxa are theoretical, though currently not well studied.[7]

Interlocus sexual conflict differs from intralocus sexual conflict, a similar theory in which a set of antagonistic alleles resides on the same locus in both sexes.

  1. ^ Chapman, T; Arnqvist, G; Bangham, J; Rowe, L (2003). "Sexual conflict". Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 18: 41–47. doi:10.1016/s0169-5347(02)00004-6.
  2. ^ Parker, G.A. (1979), "Sexual Selection and Sexual Conflict", Sexual Selection and Reproductive Competition in Insects, Elsevier, pp. 123–166, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-108750-0.50010-0, ISBN 9780121087500
  3. ^ Parker, G.A (2006-02-28). "Sexual conflict over mating and fertilization: an overview". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 361 (1466): 235–259. doi:10.1098/rstb.2005.1785. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 1569603. PMID 16612884.
  4. ^ Pennell, Tanya M.; Morrow, Edward H. (2013-05-01). "Two sexes, one genome: the evolutionary dynamics of intralocus sexual conflict". Ecology and Evolution. 3 (6): 1819–1834. Bibcode:2013EcoEv...3.1819P. doi:10.1002/ece3.540. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 3686212. PMID 23789088.
  5. ^ Bateman, A J (December 1948). "Intra-sexual selection in Drosophila". Heredity. 2 (3): 349–368. doi:10.1038/hdy.1948.21. ISSN 0018-067X. PMID 18103134.
  6. ^ a b Rice, William R.; Holland, Brett (1997-07-14). "The enemies within: intergenomic conflict, interlocus contest evolution (ICE), and the intraspecific Red Queen". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 41 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1007/s002650050357. ISSN 0340-5443. S2CID 206228.
  7. ^ Perry, Jennifer C.; Rowe, Locke (June 2015). "The Evolution of Sexually Antagonistic Phenotypes". Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 7 (6): a017558. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a017558. ISSN 1943-0264. PMC 4448611. PMID 26032715.