The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)

Few theoretical and experimental studies have analyzed the genetic basis of body size dimorphism. Since the evolutionary response to selection depends of the genetic variance in a population it is to be expected that traits under selection would have smaller genetic variance than traits not affected...

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Main Author: Raúl Cueva del Castillo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Genética 2005-12-01
Series:Genetics and Molecular Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572005000500030
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author Raúl Cueva del Castillo
author_facet Raúl Cueva del Castillo
author_sort Raúl Cueva del Castillo
collection DOAJ
description Few theoretical and experimental studies have analyzed the genetic basis of body size dimorphism. Since the evolutionary response to selection depends of the genetic variance in a population it is to be expected that traits under selection would have smaller genetic variance than traits not affected by selection. The evolution of sexual size dimorphism is affected by the genetic correlation between females and males, with the most dimorphic traits showing smaller genetic correlations between the sexes. As result of the differences in the intensity of sexual selection between the sexes, it is expected that the levels of genetic variance would be larger in females than males. I analyzed the genetic additive variance underlying six traits of Acheta domesticus, and the genetic correlations between females and males. The most dimorphic trait with the smallest genetic correlation between the sexes was forewing length, this trait showing genetic variance only in females. It may be that sexual selection acting on male traits has depleted the genetic variance not only in male traits but also for those female traits that have a large genetic correlation with male traits. It is also possible that the evolution of sexual dimorphism in A. domesticus could be constrained as a result of the large genetic correlation between the sexes.
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spelling doaj.art-b9827010c7064725861befc7e84581462022-12-21T19:18:20ZengSociedade Brasileira de GenéticaGenetics and Molecular Biology1415-47571678-46852005-12-0128484384810.1590/S1415-47572005000500030The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)Raúl Cueva del CastilloFew theoretical and experimental studies have analyzed the genetic basis of body size dimorphism. Since the evolutionary response to selection depends of the genetic variance in a population it is to be expected that traits under selection would have smaller genetic variance than traits not affected by selection. The evolution of sexual size dimorphism is affected by the genetic correlation between females and males, with the most dimorphic traits showing smaller genetic correlations between the sexes. As result of the differences in the intensity of sexual selection between the sexes, it is expected that the levels of genetic variance would be larger in females than males. I analyzed the genetic additive variance underlying six traits of Acheta domesticus, and the genetic correlations between females and males. The most dimorphic trait with the smallest genetic correlation between the sexes was forewing length, this trait showing genetic variance only in females. It may be that sexual selection acting on male traits has depleted the genetic variance not only in male traits but also for those female traits that have a large genetic correlation with male traits. It is also possible that the evolution of sexual dimorphism in A. domesticus could be constrained as a result of the large genetic correlation between the sexes.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572005000500030Acheta domesticusbody sizedimorphismheritabilitysexual selection
spellingShingle Raúl Cueva del Castillo
The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)
Genetics and Molecular Biology
Acheta domesticus
body size
dimorphism
heritability
sexual selection
title The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)
title_full The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)
title_fullStr The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)
title_full_unstemmed The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)
title_short The quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket Acheta domesticus (Gryllidae)
title_sort quantitative genetic basis of female and male body size and their implications on the evolution of body size dimorphism in the house cricket acheta domesticus gryllidae
topic Acheta domesticus
body size
dimorphism
heritability
sexual selection
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572005000500030
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