MPI-CE Ernst-Stahl-Seminar

Abstract:
Adaptive evolution requires a correlation of reproductive success with heritable variation in phenotypes. While it is obvious that the magnitude in the response to selection depends on the strength of selection, the role of heritable variation can have counterintuitive consequences. A particularly intriguing case is the evolution of sexual dimorphism from a genome that is largely shared between the sexes. I will present hemiclone analysis of sex-specific genetic variation for a key life-history trait in Drosophila with a focus on the role of sex-chromosomal genetic variation. Furthermore, I will present an intriguing case of segregation distortion in the zebra finch. The case is peculiar, because one of the alleles seems to drive equally in both sexes. Finally, I will sketch some of our current lab and field based work on sexually and naturally selected traits in grasshoppers.