SEXUAL CONFLICT

Genetic architecture of intralocus sexual conflict in a wild bird population

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Optimal trait values often differ between the sexes. However, when male and female traits are controlled by the same genes, the influence of directional selection in one sex will be counteracted by opposite selection in the other sex, resulting in negative cross-sex genetic covariance for fitness and evolutionary stasis. Such a situation, termed “intralocus sexual conflict” (ISC), is believed to be common but has received little attention. A better understanding of the evolutionary dynamic of ISCs is essential to develop realistic sexual selection models, better understand population dynamics and assess the importance of ISCs in the speciation process. To date, studies that have investigated the genetic architecture of ISCs were restricted to laboratory populations and unlikely captured the complexity of natural systems. In addition, despite substantial theoretical advances on the potential mechanisms allowing the resolution of ISCs, empirical data clearly lags behind. In this study, I propose to take advantage of a long-term field study of great tit (Parus major) and state-of-the-art quantitative genetics and genomic tools to address these topics. Specifically, I plan to utilize a genetic linkage map composed of 10 000 polymorphic markers to identify genomic regions containing genes involved in ISCs, verify if these “islands of conflict” are co-localized with regions influencing known fitness-related traits such as body mass or clutch size, and test for variability in the location, number and strength of such islands over ontogeny, time, and environmental conditions. In addition, I suggest testing the novel idea that ISCs in great tit are alleviated by the evolution of genetic correlations between sex-specific fitness and offspring sex ratio and locate genes influencing offspring sex ratio. This study will be the first to address these topics in a wild population and provide fundamental information of interest to a large number of evolutionary biologists.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Researchers have investigated the genetics involved in successfully passing on genes that may benefit one sex and disadvantage the other.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The evolutionary interests of males and females are often worlds apart, and traits considered beneficial to one may be detrimental to the other. Such 'sexual conflict' results in a genetic tug-of-war, a relatively common occurrence but one that has received little attention, despite its importance to evolution.

In a first-of-its-kind field study, the EU-funded 'Genetic architecture of intralocus sexual conflict in a wild bird population' (SEXUAL CONFLICT) project explored this phenomenon's genetic architecture. Specifically, the project focused on a long-term study of the great tit bird to assess the importance of genetic sexual conflict in population dynamics and species evolution.

Scientists used genetic mapping to determine if the genes controlling body size in each sex changed in relation to the environment over time. Statistics were used to predict whether the hereditary traits favoured the success of one sex over another or changed the ratio of male-to-female offspring.

They found that the traits were highly heritable and that they were controlled by the same genes in both sexes. The traits were also genetically correlated between the sexes, and they affected the rate of adaptation over time.

Overall, this research project has made significant contributions to our understanding of the role of genetic sexual conflict in the evolutionary process. Knowledge about the genetic basis of differences in males and females is pertinent to plant and animal breeding, as well as human medical genetics.