genetic dissimilarity between mates, but not male heterozygosity, influences divorce in schistosomes伴侣间的基因不同,但不是男性杂合性,在血吸虫病影响离婚.pdfVIP

Genetic Dissimilarity between Mates, but Not Male Heterozygosity, Influences Divorce in Schistosomes 1 ´ 2 ´ ˆ 1 Sophie Beltran , Frank Cezilly , Jerome Boissier * ´ ´ ´ 1 Laboratoire de Biologie et d’Ecologie Tropicale et Mediterraneenne, UMR 5244 CNRS-EPHE-UPVD, Universite de Perpignan, Perpignan, France, 2 Equipe Ecologie ´ ´ Evolutive, UMR CNRS 5561 Biogeosciences, Universite de Bourgogne, Dijon, France Abstract Background: Correlational studies strongly suggest that both genetic similarity and heterozygosity can influence female mate choice. However, the influence of each variable has usually been tested independently, although similarity and heterozygosity might be correlated. We experimentally determined the relative influence of genetic similarity and heterozygosity in divorce and re-mating in the monogamous endoparasite Schistosoma mansoni. Methodology/Principal Findings: We performed sequential infections of vertebrate hosts with controlled larval populations of parasites, where sex and individual genetic diversity and similarity were predetermined before infection. Divorce rate increased significantly when females were given the opportunity to increase genetic dissimilarity through re-mating with a new partner, independently of the intensity of male-male competition. We found however no evidence for females attempting to maximize the level of heterozygosity of their reproductive partner through divorce. Conclusions/Significance: Female preference for genetically dissimilar males should result in more heterozygous o