Huber Bernhard A
Alexander Koenig Research Museum of Zoology, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
Genetica. 2010 Jan;138(1):19-25. doi: 10.1007/s10709-008-9339-6.
Genital asymmetry is a recurring phenomenon in insect morphology and current data suggest that it has arisen multiple times independently in several neopteran orders. Various explanations have been proposed, including space constraints, ecological constraints, sexual selection via antagonistic coevolution, and sexual selection via changed mating positions. Each of these hypotheses may best explain individual cases, but only the last seems to account for the large majority of insect genital asymmetries. Here I summarize the basic assumptions and evolutionary steps implied in this model and review the evidence for each of them. Several components of this scenario can be easily tested, for example by including genital asymmetries and mating positions in phylogenetic analyses. Others require in-depth analyses of the function of asymmetric genital structures, targeted comparative analyses (e.g., of taxa with sex-role reversal, taxa with reversal to symmetry, etc.), and of female genital neuroanatomy.
生殖器不对称是昆虫形态学中反复出现的现象，目前的数据表明，它已在几个新翅类目中多次独立出现。人们提出了各种解释，包括空间限制、生态限制、通过对抗性协同进化的性选择以及通过改变交配姿势的性选择。这些假设中的每一个可能最能解释个别案例，但似乎只有最后一个能解释绝大多数昆虫生殖器不对称的情况。在这里，我总结了该模型所隐含的基本假设和进化步骤，并回顾了支持它们的证据。这种情况的几个组成部分可以很容易地进行检验，例如通过在系统发育分析中纳入生殖器不对称和交配姿势。其他部分则需要对不对称生殖器结构的功能进行深入分析、有针对性的比较分析（例如，对具有性别角色逆转的类群、恢复对称的类群等）以及对雌性生殖器神经解剖学的分析。
