Sexual selection is recognized as being responsible for some of the most extravagant morphologies and behaviors in the natural world, as well as a driver of some of the most rapid evolution. While Charles Darwin’s theory is now a fundamental component of modern evolutionary biology, the impact of genotype-by-environment interactions on sexual selection has thus far received little attention. This book represents the first comprehensive analysis of the role genotype-by-environment interactions play in sexual selection and the potential implications that they have for the evolutionary process. The Editors have identified 13 topics that currently define the field and shed light on the impacts of these interactions on sexual selection. This includes key topics, such as resolving the lek paradox and how genotype-by-environmental interactions can compromise the honesty of sexual signals. The volume also outlines key questions that remain unanswered and provides a comprehensive guide to analyzing genotype-by-environment interactions. The mix of theory, empirical studies, and practical instructions from world leading experts make this book a particularly potent and definitive guide on the topic. It will be of interest to evolutionary biologists, spanning from genomicists to behaviorists. “This is a very timely book, covering a topic that should change the way we think about sexual selection. The contributors are all leaders and the topics should provide guidance to many PhD projects in the years to come. GEI is increasingly shown to be important, and it seems likely that it is critical in species where sexual selection is operating. This book is likely to help revitalize the study of sexual selection.” Professor Allen Moore, The University of Georgia “GEIs fascinate evolutionary biologists, but the unique consequences for sexually selected traits have been neglected - until now. This multi-authored book comprehensively explains key theoretical concepts, handles practical ‘how to’ issues and uses classic case studies to illustrate the value of studying GEIs. It is a must read for everyone interested in sexual selection.” Professor Michael Jennions, The Australian National University

Genotype-by-environment interactions (G x Es) describe genetic variation for phenotypic plasticity, such that the relative performance of genotypes varies across environments. These interactions have been studied in the context of natural selection for decades, but research interest in the evolutionary consequences of G x Es in sexual traits is more recent. Theory suggests that G x Es in sexual traits could be of fundamental importance to the operation of sexual selection across heterogeneous environments, but empirical research lags behind the theory. In this thesis, I review the current literature on the role of G x Es in sexual selection and identify areas for further research. Using cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) in the fruit fly Drosophila simulans as a model system for sexual selection, I examine G x Es in trait expression and quantify the effect of these G x Es in terms of sexual signal reliability and the coevolution of male and female sexual traits. To do so, I use a combination of quantitative genetics and laboratory environmental manipulations. First, I demonstrate that male CHC profile is subject to sexual selection through female mate choice and find some variation in patterns of mate choice across diets and temperatures (Chapter 3). Next, I identify G x Es in male and female CHC expression across diets and temperatures, although G x Es in male CHC profile across temperatures are weak (Chapter 4). I find that G x Es in male CHC expression can cause sexual signal unreliability, as predicted by theory, since male CHCs do not reliably signal heritable aspects of male attractiveness across diets and temperatures (Chapter 5). I also find G x Es in some aspects of female mate choice across temperatures (Chapter 6). In spite of the evidence for signal unreliability and variation in female mate choice across environments, I show that the overall outcome of mate choice is unaffected by G x Es, such that the same male genotypes are attractive across diets and temperatures (Chapters 5 and 6). From my results, it seems likely that females assess male attractiveness based on multiple male sexual signals, so that whilst male CHCs influence mate choice, CHC profile does not necessarily correlate well with overall male attractiveness. I discuss the implications of these results for the evolution of sexual traits and the genetic covariance between male and female sexual traits across environments. The research in this thesis highlights the importance of multivariate studies of sexual selection across environments for a more complete understanding of the evolution of sexual traits.

A major new look at the evolution of mating decisions in organisms from protozoans to humans The popular consensus on mate choice has long been that females select mates likely to pass good genes to offspring. In Mate Choice, Gil Rosenthal overturns much of this conventional wisdom. Providing the first synthesis of the topic in more than three decades, and drawing from a wide range of fields, including animal behavior, evolutionary biology, social psychology, neuroscience, and economics, Rosenthal argues that "good genes" play a relatively minor role in shaping mate choice decisions and demonstrates how mate choice is influenced by genetic factors, environmental effects, and social interactions. Looking at diverse organisms, from protozoans to humans, Rosenthal explores how factors beyond the hunt for good genes combine to produce an endless array of preferences among species and individuals. He explains how mating decisions originate from structural constraints on perception and from nonsexual functions, and how single organisms benefit or lose from their choices. Both the origin of species and their fusion through hybridization are strongly influenced by direct selection on preferences in sexual and nonsexual contexts. Rosenthal broadens the traditional scope of mate choice research to encompass not just animal behavior and behavioral ecology but also neurobiology, the social sciences, and other areas. Focusing on mate choice mechanisms, rather than the traits they target, Mate Choice offers a groundbreaking perspective on the proximate and ultimate forces determining the evolutionary fate of species and populations.

The question of why organisms reproduce sexually is still a matter of controversy. In this account, Professor Maynard Smith considers the selective forces responsible for the origin and evolution of sexual reproduction and genetic recombination, using quantitative population genetics arguments to support his ideas. The relative importance of individual and group selection processes are also considered. the aim is to give a clear statement of the theoretical issues, and present enough of the evidence to show what kinds of facts are relevant. It is hoped that where crucial evidence is missing, experimentalists and field workers may be encouraged to collect the relevant data. The author does not claim to solve all the problems he raises, but this clear and well-argued account should provide stimulating reading for advanced undergraduate students and research workers in evolutionary theory.

One of the holy grails in biology is the ability to predict functional characteristics from an organism's genetic sequence. Despite decades of research since the first sequencing of an organism in 1995, scientists still do not understand exactly how the information in genes is converted into an organism's phenotype, its physical characteristics. Functional genomics attempts to make use of the vast wealth of data from "-omics" screens and projects to describe gene and protein functions and interactions. A February 2020 workshop was held to determine research needs to advance the field of functional genomics over the next 10-20 years. Speakers and participants discussed goals, strategies, and technical needs to allow functional genomics to contribute to the advancement of basic knowledge and its applications that would benefit society. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Although the field of quantitative genetics - the study of the genetic basis of variation in quantitative characteristics such as body size, or reproductive success - is almost 100 years old, its application to the study of evolutionary processes in wild populations has expanded greatly over the last few decades. During this time, the use of 'wild quantitative genetics' has provided insights into a range of important questions in evolutionary ecology, ranging from studies conducting research in well-established fields such as life-history theory, behavioural ecology and sexual selection, to others addressing relatively new issues such as populations' responses to climate change or the process of senescence in natural environments. Across these fields, there is increasing appreciation of the need to quantify the genetic - rather than just the phenotypic - basis and diversity of key traits, the genetic basis of the associations between traits, and the interaction between these genetic effects and the environment. This research activity has been fuelled by methodological advances in both molecular genetics and statistics, as well as by exciting results emerging from laboratory studies of evolutionary quantitative genetics, and the increasing availability of suitable long-term datasets collected in natural populations, especially in animals. Quantitative Genetics in the Wild is the first book to synthesize the current level of knowledge in this exciting and rapidly-expanding area. This comprehensive volume also offers exciting perspectives for future studies in emerging areas, including the application of quantitative genetics to plants or arthropods, unraveling the molecular basis of variation in quantitative traits, or estimating non-additive genetic variance. Since this book deals with many fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology, it should be of interest to graduate, post-graduate students, and academics from a wide array of fields such as animal behaviour, ecology, evolution, and genetics.

Evidence from various fields indicates that such selectivity by females may be the norm rather than the exception. Because most postcopulatory competition among males for paternity is played out within the bodies of females, female behavior, morphology, and physiology probably often influence male success in these contests, Eberhard draws examples from a diversity of organisms, ranging from ctenophores to scorpions, nematodes to frogs, and crickets to humans.

Evolutionary maternal effects occur whenever a mother’s phenotypic traits directly affect her offspring’s phenotype, independent of the offspring’s genotype. Some of the phenotypic traits that result in maternal effects have a genetic basis, whereas others are environmentally determined. For example, the size of a litter produced by a mammalian mother—a trait with a strong genetic basis—can affect the growth rate of her offspring, while a mother’s dominance rank—an environmentally determined trait—can affect the dominance rank of her offspring. The first volume published on the subject in more than a decade, Maternal Effects in Mammals reflects advances in genomic, ecological, and behavioral research, as well new understandings of the evolutionary interplay between mothers and their offspring. Dario Maestripieri and Jill M. Mateo bring together a learned group of contributors to synthesize the vast literature on a range of species, highlight evolutionary processes that were previously overlooked, and propose new avenues of research. Maternal Effects in Mammals will serve as the most comprehensive compendium on and stimulus for interdisciplinary treatments of mammalian maternal effects.

This novel text provides a concise synthesis of how the interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genes have played a major role in shaping the ecology and evolution of eukaryotes. The foundation for this new focus on mitonuclear interactions originated from research in biochemistry and cell biology laboratories, although the broader ecological and evolutionary implications have yet to be fully explored. The imperative for mitonuclear coadaptation is proposed to be a major selective force in the evolution of sexual reproduction and two mating types in eukaryotes, in the formation of species, in the evolution of ornaments and sexual selection, in the process of adaptation, and in the evolution of senescence. The book highlights the importance of mitonuclear coadaptation to the evolution of complex life and champions mitonuclear ecology as an important subdiscipline in ecology and evolution.