The evolution of sex roles: The importance of ecology and social environment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fresneau, Nolwenn; Pipoly, Ivett; Gigler, Dora; Kosztolanyi, Andrzs; Szekely, Tamzs; Liker, Andrzs
• 署名单位: University of Pannonia; University of Pannonia; University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest; University of Bath; University of Debrecen; University of Debrecen
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-12593
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321294121
• 发表日期: 2024-05-28
• 关键词: potential reproductive rates; male parental care; mating system; classical polyandry; hatching success; size dimorphism; food abundance; jacana-jacana; selection; population

摘要

Males and females often have different roles in reproduction, although the origin of these differences has remained controversial. Explaining the enigmatic reversed sex roles where males sacrifice their mating potential and provide full parental care is a particularly long - standing challenge in evolutionary biology. While most studies focused on ecological factors as the drivers of sex roles, recent research highlights the significance of social factors such as the adult sex ratio. To disentangle these propositions, here, we investigate the additive and interactive effects of several ecological and social factors on sex role variation using shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, and allies) as model organisms that provide the full spectrum of sex role variation including some of the best - known examples of sex - role reversal. Our results consistently show that social factors play a prominent role in driving sex roles. Importantly, we show that reversed sex roles are associated with both male - skewed adult sex ratios and high breeding densities. Furthermore, phylogenetic path analyses provide general support for sex ratios driving sex role variations rather than being a consequence of sex roles. Together, these important results open future research directions by showing that different mating opportunities of males and females play a major role in generating the evolutionary diversity of sex roles, mating system, and parental care.