Changed environmental conditions weaken sexual selection in sticklebacks
Changed environmental conditions weaken sexual selection in sticklebacks
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01207.x
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发表时间：
2007-01-01
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
Evers, M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Candolin, U.;Salesto, T.;Evers, M.
环境异质性会导致选择的强度和方向在时间和空间上发生变化。然而，人类引起的环境变化对本地物种性选择和交配特征表达的影响却鲜为人知。目前，由于富营养化和藻类生长的增加，波罗的海三刺鱼的繁殖栖息地正在发生变化。在这里，我们发现，丝状藻生长的增强会导致求偶和择偶所花费的时间和精力增加，从而增加交配成本。这并没有伴随着交配吸引力的增加，而是对雄性红色婚姻颜色和求偶活动的选择强度放松了。因此，对昂贵的性选择特征的高投入在新条件下是不适应的，并且交配系统介导了环境变化对种群的负面影响。我们将这些环境引起的交配特征和性选择强度的变化归因于茂密植被可见度的降低。因此，人为干扰会影响塑造物种的选择压力，这可能对种群的生存和进化产生长期影响。
Environmental heterogeneity can cause the intensity and direction of selection to vary in time and space. Yet, the effects of human-induced environmental changes on sexual selection and the expression of mating traits of native species are poorly known. Currently, the breeding habitats of the three-spined sticklebackGasterosteus aculeatus are changing in the Baltic Sea because of eutrophication and increased growth of algae. Here we show that enhanced growth of filamentous algae increases the costs of mating by inducing an increase in the time and energy spent on courtship and mate choice. This is not followed by a concomitant increase in mate attraction, but instead the strength of selection on male red nuptial coloration and courtship activity is relaxed. Thus, the high investment into the costly sexually selected traits is maladaptive under the new conditions, and the mating system mediates a negative effect of the environmental change on the population. We attribute these environmentally induced changes in the benefit of the mating traits and in the strength of sexual selection to reduced visibility in dense vegetation. Anthropogenic disturbances hence affect the selection pressures that mould the species, which could have long-term effects on the viability and evolution of the populations.