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Trade-offs and Temporal Variation in Predator-Mediated Natural Selection and Sexual Selection on the Wings of the Damselfly Calopteryx splendens

Boarman, McKaila J. S.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1491746850419119

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Biological Sciences (Arts and Sciences).
Evolutionary theory predicts a trade-off between sexual selection and natural selection on secondary sexual traits. Understanding the relationship between mating success and predation risk can give insight into the evolutionary dynamics that interact to promote or constrain phenotypic change, yet it has been little studied in the wild. I conducted a two-year cross-sectional field study on the Banded Demoiselle damselfly (Calopteryx splendens) to test for trade-offs between sexual selection and predation risk, and to assess variation in sexual and natural selection. At the study population, the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) captures C. splendens in flight, then flies to feeding stations where it removes the wings and consumes the body. I used geometric morphometric techniques to quantify damselfly wing morphology, and compared wing shape and secondary sexual traits of wings from feeding stations to a random sample of wings from the population to quantify the strength, mode, and direction of natural selection on males. Simultaneously, I measured wing traits from individuals caught in the act of mating and compared them to a random sample of wings from the population to quantify the strength, mode, and direction of sexual selection on male wings. By comparing natural selection and sexual selection on wing traits simultaneously, I tested for trade-offs between types of selection. My results suggest that predator-mediated selection fluctuates through time, and is especially variable in how it operates on the size of secondary sexual traits displayed by males. Sexual selection operated almost exclusively on secondary sexual traits, and was consistent across years. Predator-mediated selection acted differently on fore- and hindwings, favoring males with long, narrow forewings and short, broad hindwings. A trade-off between natural and sexual selection was revealed on wing patch characteristics, with males possessing larger and darker wing patches experiencing higher predation rates, while achieving the highest mating success.
Shawn Kuchta, PhD (Advisor)
Willem Roosenburg, PhD (Committee Member)
Kelly Johnson, PhD (Committee Member)
63 p.
Animal Sciences; Biology; Ecology; Entomology; Evolution and Development
geometric morphometrics; selection trade-offs; predation; sexual selection; natural selection; Calopteryx splendens; selection gradient; selective agent; secondary sexual trait

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Boarman, M. J. S. (2017). Trade-offs and Temporal Variation in Predator-Mediated Natural Selection and Sexual Selection on the Wings of the Damselfly Calopteryx splendens [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1491746850419119

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Boarman, McKaila. Trade-offs and Temporal Variation in Predator-Mediated Natural Selection and Sexual Selection on the Wings of the Damselfly Calopteryx splendens. 2017. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1491746850419119.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Boarman, McKaila. "Trade-offs and Temporal Variation in Predator-Mediated Natural Selection and Sexual Selection on the Wings of the Damselfly Calopteryx splendens." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1491746850419119

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1491746850419119
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.