Data from: Selection on an antagonistic behavioral trait can drive rapid genital coevolution in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides

Male and female genital morphology varies widely across many taxa, and even among populations. Disentangling potential sources of selection on genital morphology is problematic because each sex is predicted to respond to adaptations in the other due to reproductive conflicts of interest. To test how variation in this sexual conflict trait relates to variation in genital morphology we used our previously developed artificial selection lines for high and low repeated mating rates. We selected for high and low repeated mating rates using monogamous pairings to eliminate contemporaneous female choice and male-male competition. Male and female genital shape responded rapidly to selection on repeated mating rate. High and low mating rate lines diverged from control lines after only 10 generations of selection. We also detected significant patterns of male and female genital shape coevolution among selection regimes. We argue that because our selection lines differ in sexual conflict, these results support the hypothesis that sexually antagonistic coevolution can drive the rapid divergence of genital morphology. The greatest divergence in morphology corresponded with lines in which the resolution of intrasexual conflict over mating rate was biased in favor of male interests.

跨诸多类群乃至种群内部，雌雄生殖器形态均存在广泛变异。厘清生殖器形态所受选择压力的潜在来源颇具挑战，这是因为基于生殖利益冲突的演化逻辑，两性均会针对对方的适应性特征做出响应。为探究该性冲突性状的变异与生殖器形态变异之间的关联，我们采用了此前构建的、针对高、低重复交配率的人工选择品系开展实验。本实验通过单配偶配对方式对高、低重复交配率进行人工选择，以排除同期雌性选择与雄性间竞争的干扰。雌雄生殖器形态均对重复交配率的选择产生了快速响应：仅经过10代选择，高、低交配率品系便与对照品系产生了显著分化。我们还在不同选择处理组中检测到了雌雄生殖器形态协同演化的显著模式。我们认为，由于本研究的人工选择品系在性冲突水平上存在差异，上述结果支持“性拮抗协同演化可推动生殖器形态快速分化”这一假说。其中，形态分化程度最高的品系，其交配率相关的性别内冲突的解决结果偏向于雄性利益。