Experimental sexual selection affects the evolution of physiological and life history traits

Sexual selection and sexual conflict are expected to affect all aspects of the phenotype, not only traits that are directly involved in reproduction. Here, we show coordinated evolution of multiple physiological and life history traits in response to long-term experimental manipulation of the mating system in populations of Drosophila pseudoobscura. Development time was extended under polyandry relative to monogamy in both sexes, potentially due to higher investment in traits linked to sexual selection and sexual conflict. Individuals (especially males) evolving under polyandry had higher metabolic rates and locomotor activity than those evolving under monogamy. Polyandry individuals also invested more in metabolites associated with increased endurance capacity and efficient energy metabolism and regulation, namely lipid and glycogen. Finally, polyandry males were less desiccation- and starvation- resistant than monogamy males, suggesting trade-offs between resistance and sexually selected traits. Our results provide experimental evidence that mating systems can impose selection that influences the evolution of non-sexual phenotypes such as development, activity, metabolism, and nutrient homeostasis.Please see the README.txt provided in the zipped folder.Funding provided by: NERCCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/L002450/1Funding provided by: National Science FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001Award Number: DEB-0093149Funding provided by: NERCCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/B504065/1Funding provided by: NERCCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/D003741/1Funding provided by: NERCCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/I014632/1Data is provided as a single zipped folder containing five .csv files and a README.txt file. Detailed description of methods can be found in the supplementary material accompanying the manuscript. All analyses can be found at https://lukeholman.github.io/exp_evol_respiration