How to translate text using browser tools
1 April 2008 Evolutionary Links Between Reproductive Morphology, Ecology and Mating Behavior in Opisthobranch Gastropods
Nils Anthes, Hinrich Schulenburg, Nico K. Michiels
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Sexual coevolution in morphological and behavioral traits has rarely been studied. Using phylogenetic analyses, we explore relationships between sexual characters based on a new molecular phylogeny of 33 opisthobranch taxa (Aglajidae and Gastropteridae). Our measurements of these simultaneous hermaphrodites include male and female reproductive anatomy, mating behavior, and spatial gregariousness. After phylogenetic correction, we found evidence for correlated evolution between male and female reproductive organs such as the size of the seminal fluid producing prostate gland and that of the sperm digesting bursa copulatrix. Our findings suggest that reproductive trait variation is mediated by sexual coevolution, where putatively manipulative male organs evolved in association with female organs involved in sperm selection. Furthermore, low gregariousness was associated with long, reciprocal copulations. We interpret this result as an adaptation to infrequent mate encounters, where it pays to mate longer with and presumably transfer more sperm to a rare partner. Several complex reproductive traits were repeatedly gained or lost across our phylogeny. This pattern is consistent with a scenario in which sexual selection generates dynamic coevolutionary cycles similar to those expected under sexual antagonism. We finally outline approaches for experimentally assessing the proposed functional links that underlie the evolutionary correlations revealed by our study.

Nils Anthes, Hinrich Schulenburg, and Nico K. Michiels "Evolutionary Links Between Reproductive Morphology, Ecology and Mating Behavior in Opisthobranch Gastropods," Evolution 62(4), 900-916, (1 April 2008). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00326.x
Received: 22 May 2007; Accepted: 21 December 2007; Published: 1 April 2008
JOURNAL ARTICLE
17 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
Coevolution
prostate
sexual conflict
sexual selection
simultaneous hermaphrodite
sperm competition
sperm digestion
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top