Sexual selection in females and its evolutionary consequences – SEXIFEM

The study of sexual selection has become one of the most persuasive but also most controversial fields in evolutionary biology due to a continuing debate on the extent to which it operates in both sexes. Classic theory posits that typically males but not females compete for access to mates. Until today, this male-centered perspective contributed to a massive publication bias towards studies focusing on males despite growing evidence that sexual selection can also act in females. This project aims to foster a paradigm shift in the field by providing novel insights on how sexual selection operates in females and on its evolutionary consequences. Specifically, we will take a multidimensional approach combining quantitative genetics, meta-analysis, experimental evolution, and genomics to develop two intertwined research axes. Along the first axis, we will use Tribolium beetles as a model system to explore experimentally the hitherto untested hypothesis that sexual selection in females promotes the evolution of female reproductive characters. Crucially, we will test for the first time the hypothesis that sexual selection in females and males is targeting primarily the same genetic variants, which has important implications for the adaptive potential of populations. Along the second research axis, we plan to take a more global perspective by testing how sexual selection in females predicts the evolution of sexual traits and life- histories across the animal tree of life. Thereby, the project aims to contribute to a more balanced view on sex differences with great potential for broad ramifications across disciplines. The partnership of renowned evolutionary biologists and population geneticists from leading institutes in France (i.e., CEFE in Montpellier, EPP in Lille and IRBI in Tours) will form a highly complementary and synergistic team with optimal infrastructures to successfully accomplish the ambitious but largely risk-neutral project.