Data from: Sexual conflict in wing size and shape in Drosophila melanogaster

Intralocus sexual conflict occurs when opposing selection pressures operate on loci expressed in both sexes, constraining the evolution of sexual dimorphism and displacing one or both sexes from their optimum. We eliminated intralocus conflict in Drosophila melanogaster by limiting transmission of all major chromosomes to males, thereby allowing them to win the intersexual tug-of-war. Here we show that this male-limited (ML) evolution treatment led to the evolution (in both sexes) of masculinized wing morphology, body size, growth rate, wing loading, and allometry. In addition to more male-like size and shape, ML evolution resulted in an increase in developmental stability for males. However females expressing ML chromosomes were less developmentally stable, suggesting that being ontogenetically more male-like was disruptive to development. Sexual selection over size and shape of the imago may explain the persistence of substantial genetic variation in these characters and the ontogenetic processes underlying them.

基因座内性冲突（intralocus sexual conflict）指当相反的选择压力作用于在两性中均表达的基因座时，会抑制两性异形的演化，并使一方或双方两性偏离其适应最优表型。我们通过将所有主要染色体的传递仅限定于雄性，消除了黑腹果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）中的基因座内性冲突，从而使雄性在这场两性间的演化拔河中占据优势。本研究表明，该雄性限制进化处理（male-limited evolution treatment, ML）可使两性均演化出雄性化的翅形态、体型、生长速率、翅载荷以及异速生长模式。除了呈现更具雄性特征的体型与形态外，雄性限制进化还提升了雄性个体的发育稳定性。然而，携带雄性限制染色体的雌性个体发育稳定性却有所下降，这表明个体发育层面更偏向雄性会对其发育造成干扰。针对成虫体型与形态的性选择，或许可以解释这些性状及其背后个体发育过程中存在大量遗传变异的现象。