Mosquitoes sexual traits

EVOLUTION

An unexpected cost of sex

1. Suzanne H. Alonzo

+Author Affiliations

1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, CA, USA.

1. E-mail: shalonzo@ucsc.edu

Related Resources

In Science Magazine

• REPORTEvolution of sexual traits influencing vectorial capacity in anopheline mosquitoes
  

  • Sara N. Mitchell et al.

  Science 27 February 2015: 985-988.

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Coevolved sexual traits in male and female mosquitoes.

Mitchell et al. show that as anophelene mosquitoes evolved, so have the traits that affect interactions between the sexes, and likely also their capacity as vectors of human malaria.

PHOTO: SAM COTTON

Selection arising from interactions between the sexes is responsible for some of the most striking diversity on the planet. These interactions generate coevolutionary dynamics between males and females that have shaped traits such as the striking courtship displays of male birds and the less winsome mating appendages of some male insects (1). But research on sexual selection has relevance beyond understanding the weird sex lives of animals. For example, human disturbance of sexual selection can lead to the loss of native species (2) and sexually selected male harassment of females can increase a species' risk of extinction (3). On page 985 of this issue, Mitchell et al. (4) show that sexual selection can also be relevant to human health./.../