Major histocompatibility complex and sexual selection
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| - | '''Mate choice''' is one of the primary mechanisms under which [[evolution]] can occur. Before an animal engages with a potential mate, they first evaluate various aspects of that mate which are indicative of quality—such as the resources or phenotypes they have—and evaluate whether or not those particular trait(s) are somehow beneficial to them. The evaluation will then incur a response of some sort. | ||
| - | These mechanisms are a part of evolutionary change because they operate in a way that causes the qualities that are desired in a mate to be more frequently passed on to each generation over time. For example, if female peacocks desire mates who have a colourful plumage, then this trait will increase in frequency over time as male peacocks with a colourful plumage will have more [[reproductive success]]. Further investigation of this concept, has found that it is in fact the specific trait of blue and green colour near the eyespot that seems to increase the females likelihood of mating with a specific peacock. | + | The '''major histocompatibility complex in sexual selection''' concerns how [[major histocompatibility complex]] (MHC) molecules allow for [[immune system]] surveillance of the population of protein molecules in a host's cells. In 1976, Yamazaki et al. demonstrated a [[sexual selection]] [[mate choice]] by male mice for females of a different MHC. |
| - | Mate choice is one of two components of [[sexual selection]], the other being [[Sexual selection|intrasexual selection]]. Ideas on sexual selection were first introduced in 1871, by [[Charles Darwin]], then expanded on by [[Ronald Fisher]] in 1915. At present, there are five sub mechanisms that explain how mate choice has evolved over time. These are direct phenotypic benefits, sensory bias, the [[Fisherian runaway]] hypothesis, indicator traits and [[Genetics|genetic]] compatibility. | + | Major [[histocompatibility]] complex genes, which control the immune response and effective resistance against pathogens, have been able to maintain an extremely high level of [[allele|allelic]] diversity throughout time and throughout different populations. Studies suggest that the MHC is involved in mate choice for many vertebrates through olfactory cues. There are several proposed hypotheses that address how MHC-associated mating preferences could be adaptive and how the MHC has maintained its enormous allelic diversity. |
| - | In the majority of systems where mate choice exists, one sex tends to be competitive with their same-sex members and the other sex is choosy (meaning they are selective when it comes to picking individuals to mate with). There are direct and indirect benefits of being the selective individual. In most species, females are the choosy sex which discriminates among competitive males, but there are several examples of reversed roles (see below). It is preferable for an individual to choose a compatible mate of the same species, in order to maintain reproductive success. Other factors that can influence mate choice include [[Parasite-stress theory|pathogen stress]] and the [[Major histocompatibility complex and sexual selection|Major Histocompatibility Complex]] (MHC). | + | The vast source of [[genetic variation]] affecting an organism's fitness stems from the co-evolutionary arms race between hosts and parasites. There are two nonmutually exclusive hypotheses for explaining this. One is that there is selection for the maintenance of a highly diverse set of MHC genes if MHC heterozygotes are more resistant to parasites than homozygotes—this is called ''[[heterozygote advantage]]''. The second is that there is selection that undergoes a frequency-dependent cycle—and is called the ''[[Red Queen hypothesis]]''. |
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| - | == Origins and history == | + | |
| - | [[Charles Darwin]] first expressed his ideas on sexual selection and mate choice in his book ''[[The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex]]'' in 1871. He was perplexed by the elaborate ornamentation that males of some species have, because such features appeared to be detrimental to survival and to have negative consequences for reproductive success. Darwin proposed two explanations for the existence of such traits: these traits are useful in male-male combat or they are preferred by females. This article focuses on the latter. Darwin treated natural selection and sexual selection as two different topics, although in the 1930s biologists defined sexual selection as being a part of natural selection. | + | |
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| - | In 1915, [[Ronald Fisher]] wrote a paper on the evolution of female preference and [[secondary sexual characteristics]]. Fifteen years later, he expanded this theory in a book called ''[[The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection]]''. There he described a scenario where feedback between mate preference and a trait results in elaborate characters such as the long tail of the male peacock (see [[Fisherian runaway]]). | + | |
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| - | In 1948, using ''[[Drosophila]]'' as a model, [[Angus John Bateman]] presented experimental evidence that male [[reproductive success]] is limited by the number of mates obtained, while female reproductive success is limited by the number of pregnancies that she can have in her lifetime. Thus a female must be selective when choosing a mate because the quality of her offspring depends on it. Males must fight, in the form of intra-sexual competition, for the opportunity to mate because not all males will be chosen by females. This became known as [[Bateman's principle]], and although this was a major finding that added to the work of Darwin and Fisher, it was overlooked until [[George C. Williams (biologist)|George C. Williams]] emphasised its importance in the 1960s and 1970s. | + | |
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| - | In 1972, soon after Williams' revival of the subject, [[Robert L. Trivers]] presented his [[parental investment]] theory. Trivers defined parental investment as any investment made by the parent that benefits his or her current offspring at the cost of investment in future offspring. These investments include the costs of producing gametes as well as any other care or efforts that parents provide after birth or hatching. Reformulating Bateman's ideas, Trivers argued that the sex which exhibits less parental investment (not necessarily the male) will have to compete for mating opportunities with the sex that invests more. The differences in levels of parental investment create the condition that favours mating biases. | + | |
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
| - | *[[Extended female sexuality]] | + | *[[Body odor]] |
| - | *[[Filter theory (sociology)]] | + | *[[Body odor and subconscious human sexual attraction]] |
| - | *[[Human male sexuality]] | + | *[[Pheromone]] |
| - | *[[Human female sexuality]] | + | *''[[The Compatibility Gene]]'' |
| - | *[[Koinophilia]] | + | |
| - | *[[Mate guarding in humans]] | + | |
| - | *[[Parental investment]] | + | |
| - | *[[Psychological adaptation]] | + | |
| - | *[[Seduction]] | + | |
| - | *[[Sexual conflict]] | + | |
| - | *[[Sexual selection]] | + | |
| - | *[[The Evolution of Human Sexuality|The evolution of human sexuality]] | + | |
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The major histocompatibility complex in sexual selection concerns how major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules allow for immune system surveillance of the population of protein molecules in a host's cells. In 1976, Yamazaki et al. demonstrated a sexual selection mate choice by male mice for females of a different MHC.
Major histocompatibility complex genes, which control the immune response and effective resistance against pathogens, have been able to maintain an extremely high level of allelic diversity throughout time and throughout different populations. Studies suggest that the MHC is involved in mate choice for many vertebrates through olfactory cues. There are several proposed hypotheses that address how MHC-associated mating preferences could be adaptive and how the MHC has maintained its enormous allelic diversity.
The vast source of genetic variation affecting an organism's fitness stems from the co-evolutionary arms race between hosts and parasites. There are two nonmutually exclusive hypotheses for explaining this. One is that there is selection for the maintenance of a highly diverse set of MHC genes if MHC heterozygotes are more resistant to parasites than homozygotes—this is called heterozygote advantage. The second is that there is selection that undergoes a frequency-dependent cycle—and is called the Red Queen hypothesis.
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