House fly proto-Y chromosomes differentially affect courtship success regardless of social context and female type
Genetic variation exists for many male reproductive traits despite apparent strong sexual selection in favor of particular males. Understanding how that variation is maintained is an unresolved problem in evolutionary biology. One proposed solution to this problem is genotype-by-environment interactions (GEIs), where no male genotype is universally superior across environments. Another proposed…
In a study examining genetic variation in male reproductive traits among house flies, researchers found that the IIIM genotype consistently outperformed the YM genotype in mating attempts. This disparity held true regardless of the type of competition, the female's genetic background, or her age. The IIIM males attempted more matings overall and mated more rapidly than YM males, a difference that only emerged in the presence of their own strain and in non-competitive trials.
However, female genetic strain did not enhance the mating success of YM males. Additionally, no male genotype showed superior performance when aging occurred. Crucially, YM males never managed to outcompete IIIM males, indicating no evidence of genotype-by-age interactions that could maintain genetic variation in male mating success.
The researchers postulate that the coexistence of these genotypes may be due to unexplored social contexts or temperature variations present in natural environments where these flies thrive.
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