Data from: Male eyespan size is associated with meiotic drive in wild stalk-eyed flies (Teleopsis dalmanni)

This study provides the first direct evidence from wild populations of
stalk-eyed flies to support the hypothesis that male eyespan is a signal
of meiotic drive. Several stalk-eyed fly species are known to exhibit
X-linked meiotic drive. A recent QTL analysis in Teleopsis dalmanni, found
a potential link between variation in male eyespan, a sexually selected
ornamental trait, and the presence of meiotic drive. This was based on
laboratory populations subject to artificial selection for male eyespan.
In this study we examined the association between microsatellite markers
and levels of sex ratio bias (meiotic drive) in 12 wild T. dalmanni
populations. We collected two data sets: a) brood sex ratios of
wild-caught males mated to standard laboratory females, and b) variation
in a range of phenotypic traits associated with reproductive success of
wild- caught males and females. In each case, we typed individuals for 8
X-linked microsatellite markers, including several that previously were
shown to be associated with male eyespan and meiotic drive. We found that
one microsatellite marker was very strongly associated with meiotic drive
whilst a second showed a weaker association. We also found that, using
both independent datasets, meiotic drive was strongly associated with male
eyespan, with smaller eyespan males being associated with more
female-biased broods. These results suggest that mate preference for
exaggerated male eyespan allows females to avoid mating with males
carrying the meiotic drive gene and is thus a potential mechanism for the
maintenance and evolution of female mate preference.