Mating System Affects Population Performance and Extinction Risk Under Environmental Challenge

Overview

Journal Proc Biol Sci

Specialty Biology

Date 2012 Sep 15

PMID 22977151

Citations 27

Authors

Agata Plesnar-Bielak

Anna M Skrzynecka

Zofia M Prokop

Jacek Radwan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Failure of organisms to adapt to sudden environmental changes may lead to extinction. The type of mating system, by affecting fertility and the strength of sexual selection, may have a major impact on a population's chances to adapt and survive. Here, we use experimental evolution in bulb mites (Rhizoglyphus robini) to examine the effects of the mating system on population performance under environmental change. We demonstrate that populations in which monogamy was enforced suffered a dramatic fitness decline when evolving at an increased temperature, whereas the negative effects of change in a thermal environment were alleviated in polygamous populations. Strikingly, within 17 generations, all monogamous populations experiencing higher temperature went extinct, whereas all polygamous populations survived. Our results show that the mating system may have dramatic effects on the risk of extinction under environmental change.

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