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Assessing Territoriality as a Component of Male Sexual Fitness in 'Drosophila serrata'

While the phenotypic effects of sexual selection have been well studied, the consequences for population mean fitness remain unclear. Additionally, there is a need to more fully characterize how various forms of inter- and intrasexual selection combine to affect the evolution of traits under sexual selection. Here, I address these issues as they relate to male territoriality in Drosophila serrata, a model system for the study of female preference for male pheromones. First, I demonstrate that territoriality occurs and is a likely component of male sexual fitness. Results from a phenotypic manipulation indicate that territorial success was also condition-dependent, and that sexual selection against low condition males tended to be stronger given a high opportunity for territory defense. Territorial success depended on body size but not on pheromones. How this and other components of male mating success interact to affect trait evolution and population mean fitness remains an important area for future study.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/24020
Date January 2013
CreatorsWhite, Alison
ContributorsRundle, Howard
PublisherUniversité d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Source SetsUniversité d’Ottawa
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis

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