Sexual selection and the evolution of evolvability

• Published in: Heredity Vol. 98; no. 4; pp. 198 - 205
• Main Authors: Petrie, M, Roberts, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.04.2007; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cytogenetics; Ecology; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Evolutionary Biology; Female; Gender; Genetic Variation; Genetics; Heredity; Human Genetics; Male; Mutation; original-article; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Selection; Selection, Genetic; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Behavior, Animal; mutator genes; genetic variation; mutation rate; mate choice; lek paradox; sexual selection
• ISSN: 0018-067X; 1365-2540
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.hdy.6800921

Here we show that sexual selection can have an effect on the rate of mutation. We simulated the fate of a genetic modifier of the mutation rate in a sexual population with and without sexual selection (modelled using a female choice mechanism). Female choice for ‘good genes’ should reduce variability among male subjects, leaving insufficient differences to maintain female preferences. However, female choice can actually increase genetic variability by supporting a higher mutation rate in sexually selected traits. Increasing the mutation rate will be selected against because of the resulting decline in mean fitness. However, it also increases the probability of rare beneficial mutations arising, and mating skew caused by female preferences for male subjects carrying those beneficials with few deleterious mutations (‘good genes’) can lead to a mutation rate above that expected under natural selection. A choice of two male subjects was sufficient for there to be a twofold increase in the mutation rate as opposed to a decrease found under random mating.