Sexual Selection and the Evolution of Allometry for Sexual Size Dimorphism in the Water Strider, Aquarius remigis

1994 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphne J. Fairbairn ◽  
Richard F. Preziosi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Water Strider ◽  
Aquarius Remigis ◽  
Size Dimorphism

Latitudinal clines in sexual selection, sexual size dimorphism, and sex‐specific genetic dispersal during a poleward range expansion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Y. Dudaniec ◽  
Alexander R. Carey ◽  
Erik I. Svensson ◽  
Bengt Hansson ◽  
Chuan Ji Yong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Latitudinal Clines

scholarly journals Sexual selection and sexual size dimorphism in animals

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 20210251
Author(s):  
Tim Janicke ◽  
Salomé Fromonteil
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Bateman Gradient ◽  
Mixed Support ◽  
Evolutionary Force ◽  
Length Measurements

Sexual selection is often considered as a critical evolutionary force promoting sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in animals. However, empirical evidence for a positive relationship between sexual selection on males and male-biased SSD received mixed support depending on the studied taxonomic group and on the method used to quantify sexual selection. Here, we present a meta-analytic approach accounting for phylogenetic non-independence to test how standardized metrics of the opportunity and strength of pre-copulatory sexual selection relate to SSD across a broad range of animal taxa comprising up to 95 effect sizes from 59 species. We found that SSD based on length measurements was correlated with the sex difference in the opportunity for sexual selection but showed a weak and statistically non-significant relationship with the sex difference in the Bateman gradient. These findings suggest that pre-copulatory sexual selection plays a limited role for the evolution of SSD in a broad phylogenetic context.

scholarly journals Sexual selection explains Rensch's rule of allometry for sexual size dimorphism

2007 ◽  
Vol 274 (1628) ◽  
pp. 2971-2979 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Dale ◽  
Peter O Dunn ◽  
Jordi Figuerola ◽  
Terje Lislevand ◽  
Tamás Székely ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Confounding Factors ◽  
Allometric Relationship ◽  
Rensch’S Rule ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Rensch's Rule ◽  
Clear Solution ◽  
General Explanation

In 1950, Rensch first described that in groups of related species, sexual size dimorphism is more pronounced in larger species. This widespread and fundamental allometric relationship is now commonly referred to as ‘Rensch's rule’. However, despite numerous recent studies, we still do not have a general explanation for this allometry. Here we report that patterns of allometry in over 5300 bird species demonstrate that Rensch's rule is driven by a correlated evolutionary change in females to directional sexual selection on males. First, in detailed multivariate analysis, the strength of sexual selection was, by far, the strongest predictor of allometry. This was found to be the case even after controlling for numerous potential confounding factors, such as overall size, degree of ornamentation, phylogenetic history and the range and degree of size dimorphism. Second, in groups where sexual selection is stronger in females, allometry consistently goes in the opposite direction to Rensch's rule. Taken together, these results provide the first clear solution to the long-standing evolutionary problem of allometry for sexual size dimorphism: sexual selection causes size dimorphism to correlate with species size.

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