Sexual Conflict in Water Beetles
Due to differences in offspring investment, mating interactions can often be characterized by conflicts between the sexes over e.g. frequency or timing of mating. These conflicts can give rise to antagonistic arms races between the sexes on various levels. In diving beetles the arms race can be seen in external morphology and precopulatory struggles where the attacking male is often discarded without successful sperm transfer. The morphologies involved are adhesive suction cups (or suckers) on the males´ feet that are launched at the female back at mating attempts without any initial courtship. The female back however is in many species modified with furrows, granules, punctures and hairs that reduce the efficiency of the suckers to adhere. In the genus Acilius these characters have been shown to coevolve in an arms race (Bergsten & Miller, 2007). With phylogenetic trees, comparative morphological analyses, evolutionary modeling and aquarium experimental mating trials, we are asking and testing questions related to these evolutionary dynamics of sexual conflict.
Evolutionary arms race between the sexes in Acilius diving beetles. From Bergsten & Miller (2007) PLoS ONE 2(6): e522.Link to article
Project leader:
Johannes Bergsten
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