Male-driven reproductive and agonistic character displacement in darters and its implications for speciation in allopatry
Abstract
Selection against hybridization can cause mating traits to diverge between species in sympatry via reproductive character displacement (RCD). Additionally, selection against interspecific fighting can cause aggressive traits to diverge between sympatric species via agonistic character displacement (ACD). By directly affecting conspecific recognition traits, RCD and ACD between species can also incidentally cause divergence in mating and fighting traits among populations within a species [termed cascade RCD (CRCD) and cascade ACD]. Here, we demonstrate patterns consistent with male-driven RCD and ACD in 2 groups of darters (orangethroat darter cladeCeasiaand rainbow darterEtheostoma caeruleum). In both groups, males that occur in sympatry (betweenCeasiaandE. caeruleum) have higher levels of preference for mating and fighting with conspecifics over heterospecifics than do males from allopatry. This is consistent with RCD and ACD. We also found patterns consistent with CRCD and cascade ACD among species ofCeasia.Ceasiamales that are sympatric toE. caeruleum(but allopatric to one another) also have heightened preferences for mating and fighting with conspecific versus heterospecificCeasia.In contrast,Ceasiamales that are allopatric...Continue Reading
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Reinforcement in the banded darter Etheostoma zonale : The effect of sex and sympatry on preferences
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