Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Nov 22;279(1747):4661-7. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1867. Epub 2012 Sep 12.
Failure of organisms to adapt to sudden environmental changes may lead to extinction. The type of mating system, by affecting fertility and the strength of sexual selection, may have a major impact on a population's chances to adapt and survive. Here, we use experimental evolution in bulb mites (Rhizoglyphus robini) to examine the effects of the mating system on population performance under environmental change. We demonstrate that populations in which monogamy was enforced suffered a dramatic fitness decline when evolving at an increased temperature, whereas the negative effects of change in a thermal environment were alleviated in polygamous populations. Strikingly, within 17 generations, all monogamous populations experiencing higher temperature went extinct, whereas all polygamous populations survived. Our results show that the mating system may have dramatic effects on the risk of extinction under environmental change.
生物体无法适应突发的环境变化可能会导致灭绝。交配系统的类型通过影响生育能力和性选择的强度，可能会对种群适应和生存的机会产生重大影响。在这里，我们使用实验进化方法在粉螨（Rhizoglyphus robini）中研究了交配系统对环境变化下种群表现的影响。我们证明，在温度升高的情况下，强制实行一夫一妻制的种群的适应性急剧下降，而在多配偶制种群中，热环境变化的负面影响则得到缓解。引人注目的是，在 17 代内，所有经历高温的一夫一妻制种群都灭绝了，而所有多配偶制种群都存活了下来。我们的研究结果表明，交配系统在环境变化下可能会对灭绝风险产生巨大影响。
