Data from: Female resistance to sexual coercion can evolve to preserve the indirect benefits of mate choice

Sexual conflict over the indirect benefits of mate choice may arise when
traits in one sex limit the ability of the other sex to freely choose
mates but when these coercive traits are not necessarily directly harmful
(i.e. forced fertilization per se). While we might hypothesize that
females can evolve resistance in order to retain the indirect, genetic
benefits (reflected in offspring attractiveness) of mating with attractive
males, up to now it has been difficult to evaluate potential underlying
mechanisms. Traditional theoretical approaches do not usually conceptually
distinguish between female preference for male mating display and female
resistance to forced fertilization, yet sexual conflict over indirect
benefits implies the simultaneous action of all of these traits. Here we
present an integrative theoretical framework that draws together concepts
from both sexual selection and sexual conflict traditions, allowing for
the simultaneous coevolution of displays and preferences, and of coercion
and resistance. We demonstrate that it is possible for resistance to
coercion to evolve in the absence of direct costs of mating to preserve
the indirect benefits of mate choice. We find that resistance traits that
improve the efficacy of female mating preference can evolve as long as
females are able to attain some indirect benefits of mating with
attractive males, even when both attractive and unattractive males can
coerce. These results reveal new evolutionary outcomes that were not
predicted by prior theories of indirect benefits or sexual conflict.