Lawson Handley L J, Perrin N
Theoretical and Molecular Population Genetics Group, Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.
Mol Ecol. 2007 Apr;16(8):1559-78. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03152.x.
Sex-biased dispersal is an almost ubiquitous feature of mammalian life history, but the evolutionary causes behind these patterns still require much clarification. A quarter of a century since the publication of seminal papers describing general patterns of sex-biased dispersal in both mammals and birds, we review the advances in our theoretical understanding of the evolutionary causes of sex-biased dispersal, and those in statistical genetics that enable us to test hypotheses and measure dispersal in natural populations. We use mammalian examples to illustrate patterns and proximate causes of sex-biased dispersal, because by far the most data are available and because they exhibit an enormous diversity in terms of dispersal strategy, mating and social systems. Recent studies using molecular markers have helped to confirm that sex-biased dispersal is widespread among mammals and varies widely in direction and intensity, but there is a great need to bridge the gap between genetic information, observational data and theory. A review of mammalian data indicates that the relationship between direction of sex-bias and mating system is not a simple one. The role of social systems emerges as a key factor in determining intensity and direction of dispersal bias, but there is still need for a theoretical framework that can account for the complex interactions between inbreeding avoidance, kin competition and cooperation to explain the impressive diversity of patterns.
性别偏向扩散是哺乳动物生活史中几乎普遍存在的一个特征，但这些模式背后的进化原因仍需进一步阐明。自从发表了描述哺乳动物和鸟类性别偏向扩散一般模式的开创性论文以来，已经过去了四分之一个世纪，我们回顾了我们在理论上对性别偏向扩散进化原因的理解进展，以及统计遗传学方面的进展，这些进展使我们能够检验假设并测量自然种群中的扩散情况。我们用哺乳动物的例子来说明性别偏向扩散的模式和直接原因，因为目前可获得的数据最多，而且它们在扩散策略、交配和社会系统方面表现出极大的多样性。最近使用分子标记的研究有助于证实性别偏向扩散在哺乳动物中广泛存在，并且在方向和强度上有很大差异，但迫切需要弥合遗传信息、观测数据和理论之间的差距。对哺乳动物数据的回顾表明，性别偏向方向与交配系统之间的关系并非简单直接。社会系统的作用成为决定扩散偏向强度和方向的关键因素，但仍需要一个理论框架来解释近亲回避、亲属竞争与合作之间的复杂相互作用，以说明令人印象深刻的模式多样性。
