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| Coevolution between female-specific ornaments and male traits |
| Rosalind L Murray. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada |
Sexual ornaments are highly variable and the factors that drive variation in ornament expression are not always clear. Rare instances of female-specific ornament evolution (such as in some dance fly species) are particularly puzzling. While some evidence suggests that female ornaments represent straightforward reversals of sexual selection intensity, the nature of trade-offs between ornaments and offspring pose special constraints in females. To examine how the evolution of female ornaments affects males in these taxa, we performed comparative analyses in the dance flies (Diptera: Empididae) to measure the degree of female ornament expression related to male traits associated with pre- and post-mating competition.�We show that in species with greater female ornamentation, males have evolved dimorphic eye facets (presumably to improve pre-mating assessments of ornamented female quality) and show increased male relative testis investment (indicative of increased post-mating sperm competition). Our results suggest that increased female ornamentation across taxa has resulted in coevolution of male traits important in both pre-mating and post-mating sexual selection. |