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Sexually antagonistic coevolution between the sex chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 01:07 authored by Katrine K Lund-Hansen, Colin Olito, Ted Morrow, Jessica K Abbott
Antagonistic interactions between the sexes are important drivers of evolutionary divergence. Interlocus sexual conflict is generally described as a conflict between alleles at two interacting loci whose identity and genomic location are arbitrary, but with opposite fitness effects in each sex. We build on previous theory by suggesting that when loci under interlocus sexual conflict are located on the sex chromosomes it can lead to cycles of antagonistic coevolution between them and therefore between the sexes. We tested this hypothesis by performing experimental crosses using Drosophila melanogaster where we reciprocally exchanged the sex chromosomes between five allopatric wild-type populations in a round-robin design. Disrupting putatively coevolved sex chromosome pairs resulted in increased male reproductive success in 16 of 20 experimental populations (10 of which were individually significant), but also resulted in lower offspring egg-to-adult viability that affected both male and female fitness. After 25 generations of experimental evolution these sexually antagonistic fitness effects appeared to be resolved. To formalize our hypothesis, we developed population genetic models of antagonistic coevolution using fitness expressions based on our empirical results. Our model predictions support the conclusion that antagonistic coevolution between the sex chromosomes is plausible under the fitness effects observed in our experiments. Together, our results lend both empirical and theoretical support to the idea that cycles of antagonistic coevolution can occur between sex chromosomes and illustrate how this process, in combination with autosomal coadaptation, may drive genetic and phenotypic divergence between populations.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

ISSN

0027-8424

Publisher

National Academy of Sciences

Issue

8

Volume

118

Page range

1-9

Article number

a2003359118

Event location

United States

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2021-09-23

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-09-23

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2021-09-23