摘要
Maintaining polymorphisms for genes with effects of ecological significance may involve conflicting selection in males and females. We present data from a captive population of ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) showing that a dominant allele controls development into both small, ‘female mimic’ males (‘faeders’), and a previously undescribed class of small ‘female faeders’. Most male ruffs have elaborate breeding plumage and display behaviour, but 0.5–1.5% are faeders, which lack both. Females from a captive population previously lacking faeders were bred with two founder faeder males and their faeder sons. The faeders’ offspring had a quadrimodal size distribution comprising normal-sized males and females, faeders and atypically small females. By contrast, ornamented males fathered only normal-sized offspring. We conclude that both founding faeders were heterozygous for a faeder allele absent from the original population. This allele is dominant to previously described genes that determine development into independent versus satellite ornamented males. Unlike those genes, the faeder allele is clearly expressed in females. Small body size is a component of the male faeder mating strategy, but provides no obvious benefit to females. Bisexual expression of the gene provides the opportunity to quantify the strength of sexually antagonistic selection on a Mendelian trait.
摘要译文
维持具有生态学意义的基因的多态性可能涉及男性和女性的相互矛盾的选择。我们提供来自一群俘虏（Philomachus pugnax）的数据，显示一个显性等位基因将发育控制在小的“女性模仿”男性（''''faeders''''），和一个以前不知道的小型“女性战士”类。大多数男性臀部具有精细的繁殖羽毛和展示行为，但是0.5-1.5％是繁荣的，缺乏两者。以前没有成年人的囚禁人口的母亲与两位创始人的雄性男性和他们的雄性子孙育种。后者的后代具有包含正常大小的男性和女性的四分体大小分布，成年人和非典型的小女性。相比之下，装饰的雄性只有正常大小的后代。我们得出结论，两个创始人都是杂合的，因为没有原始人口的等位基因。这个等位基因是以前描述的确定发展成为独立卫星装饰的男性的基因的主导。不像那些基因，女性中清楚地表达了这种平等的等位基因。小体型是男性交配策略的组成部分，但对女性没有明显的益处。该基因的双性表达提供了量化孟德尔性状上性对抗选择强度的机会。
David B. Lank[1];Lindsay L. Farrell[1];Terry Burke[2];Theunis Piersma[3];Susan B. McRae[4]. A dominant allele controls development into female mimic male and diminutive female ruffs[J]. Biology Letters, 2013,9(6)