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. 2013 May 22;280(1763):20130803.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2013.0803. Print 2013 Jul 22.

Genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences

Darren Rebar  1 , Rafael L Rodríguez
Affiliations

Genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences

Darren Rebar et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Patterns of phenotypic variation arise in part from plasticity owing to social interactions, and these patterns contribute, in turn, to the form of selection that shapes the variation we observe in natural populations. This proximate-ultimate dynamic brings genetic variation in social environments to the forefront of evolutionary theory. However, the extent of this variation remains largely unknown. Here, we use a member of the Enchenopa binotata species complex of treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) to assess how mate preferences are influenced by genetic variation in the social environment. We used full-sibling split-families as 'treatment' social environments, and reared focal females alongside each treatment family, describing the mate preferences of the focal females. With this method, we detected substantial genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences. The mate preferences of focal females varied according to the treatment families along with which they grew up. We discuss the evolutionary implications of the presence of such genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences, including potential contributions to the maintenance of genetic variation, the promotion of divergence, and the adaptive evolution of social effects on fitness-related traits.

Keywords: Enchenopa; indirect genetic effects; preference functions; vibrational signals.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Experimental design to test if the presence of genetic variation in social neighbours influences the mate preferences of focal individuals reared. A sample of full-sibling families was used as the social genetic component and each family was split onto two replicates to separate social genetic effects from environmental ones. Focal individuals were then added, and we described the mate preferences of these focal individuals.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Genetic variation in social influence on the mate preference functions of Enchenopa focal females. The preference functions of the two replicates of focal females that developed with seven full-sibling treatment families are shown. The dotted line represents the mean peak preference in the population.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Example of individual preference functions of focal females from two replicates of two representative full-sibling treatment families. The dotted line represents the mean peak preference of all females tested.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Genetic variation in social influence on two traits describing the mate preference functions of Enchenopa focal females. The y-axis for the traits represents the phenotypic range observed in this study for each trait. Mean ± s.e. are displayed for both replicates of focal females reared in each family.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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