Department of Mathematics and Statistical Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, 83844, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, 83844, USA.
Evolution. 2022 Jan;76(1):29-41. doi: 10.1111/evo.14397. Epub 2021 Dec 2.
A number of key processes in evolution are driven by individuals preferring mates with particular phenotypes. However, despite long-standing interest, it is difficult to quantify the strength of mate preference from phenotypic observations in nature in a way that connects directly to key parameters in theoretical models. To bridge the gap between mathematical models and empirical data, we develop a novel maximum likelihood-based method to estimate the strength and form of mate preference, where preference depends on traits expressed in both males and females. Using simulated data, we demonstrate that our method accurately infers model parameters, including the strength of mate preference and the optimal offset match between trait values in mated pairs when model assumptions are satisfied. Applying our method to two previous studies of assortative mating in marine gastropods and the European common frog, we support previous findings, but also give additional insight into the role of mate preference in each system. Our method can be generalized to a variety of plant and animal taxa that exhibit mating preferences to facilitate the testing of evolutionary hypotheses and link empirical data to theoretical models of assortative mating, sexual selection, and speciation.
许多进化过程中的关键环节都受到个体偏爱具有特定表型的配偶的驱动。然而，尽管人们对此一直很感兴趣，但要从自然环境中通过表型观察来定量确定配偶偏好的强度，并将其直接联系到理论模型中的关键参数，这是很困难的。为了弥合数学模型和经验数据之间的差距，我们开发了一种新的基于最大似然的方法来估计配偶偏好的强度和形式，其中偏好取决于雄性和雌性表达的特征。使用模拟数据，我们证明了我们的方法可以准确地推断模型参数，包括当模型假设满足时，配偶偏好的强度以及交配对中特征值之间的最佳偏移匹配。将我们的方法应用于之前关于海洋腹足类动物和欧洲普通青蛙的选择性交配的两项研究，我们支持了之前的发现，但也为每个系统中配偶偏好的作用提供了更多的见解。我们的方法可以推广到各种表现出交配偏好的动植物类群，以促进对进化假设的检验，并将经验数据与选择性交配、性选择和物种形成的理论模型联系起来。
