Department of Animal and Plant Science, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK.
Ecol Lett. 2012 Jun;15(6):611-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01780.x. Epub 2012 Apr 10.
Female mate choice acts as an important evolutionary force, yet the influence of the environment on both its expression and the selective pressures acting upon it remains unknown. We found consistent heritable differences between females in their choice of mate based on ornament size during a 25-year study of a population of collared flycatchers. However, the fitness consequences of mate choice were dependent on environmental conditions experienced whilst breeding. Females breeding with highly ornamented males experienced high relative fitness during dry summer conditions, but low relative fitness during wetter years. Our results imply that sexual selection within a population can be highly variable and dependent upon the prevailing weather conditions experienced by individuals.
雌性的配偶选择是一种重要的进化力量，但环境对其表达和作用于它的选择压力的影响仍不清楚。在对一个领花戴菊鸟种群进行的 25 年研究中，我们发现雌性基于装饰物大小选择配偶存在一致的可遗传差异。然而，配偶选择的适应度后果取决于繁殖期间经历的环境条件。与高度装饰的雄性一起繁殖的雌性在干旱的夏季条件下经历高相对适应度，但在潮湿的年份中相对适应度较低。我们的结果表明，一个种群内的性选择可能高度可变，并取决于个体所经历的流行天气条件。
