Sex differences in developmental plasticity and canalization shape population divergence in mate preferences

Sexual selection of high-quality mates can conflict with species recognition if traits that govern intraspecific mate preferences also influence interspecific recognition. This conflict might be resolved by developmental plasticity and learned mate preferences, which could drive preference divergence in populations that differ in local species composition. We integrate field and laboratory experiments on two calopterygid damselfly species with population genetic data to investigate how sex differences in developmental plasticity affect population divergence in the face of gene flow. Whereas male species recognition is fixed at emergence, females instead learn to recognize heterospecifics. Females are therefore more plastic in their mate preferences than males. We suggest that this results from sex differences in the balance between sexual selection for high-quality mates and selection for species recognition. As a result of these sex differences, females develop more pronounced populati...若调控种内配偶偏好的性状同时也影响种间识别，那么优质配偶的性选择可能与物种识别产生冲突。此类冲突可通过发育可塑性与习得性配偶偏好得以缓解，后者可推动当地物种组成存在差异的种群产生偏好分化。我们整合了针对两种蟌科豆娘（calopterygid damselfly）的野外与实验室实验，结合种群遗传学数据，以探究发育可塑性中的性别差异如何在基因流存在的情况下影响种群分化。雄性的物种识别在羽化时便已固定，而雌性则会通过学习识别异种个体。因此，雌性的配偶偏好相较于雄性具有更强的可塑性。我们认为，这一现象源于优质配偶性选择与物种识别选择之间的平衡存在性别差异。基于此类性别差异，雌性会形成更为显著的种群……