Thematic symposia (1)
Traits that evolve through selection during the process of mating are said to be sexually selected. Famously, Darwin claimed that sexual selection could not occur in molluscs, because of their hermaphroditism and imperfect senses, but in this he was clearly wrong. In fact, sexual selection is particularly strong in molluscs owing to the prevalence of sperm competition. Some sexually selected molluscan traits that have been documented by recent studies include extreme variations in reproductive anatomies, complex mating systems, variable mating strategies, mate choices, sexual signaling, bizarre courtship behaviours, and post-copulatory manipulations. Because such traits are closely linked to reproductive success, they tend to evolve rapidly, with sometimes unexpected results such as the love-dart. Also, given that the specific reproductive interests of the two sexes are usually different, and may even be in conflict, male and female traits do not necessarily evolve symmetrically. Some recent evidence points to the occurrence of antagonistic co-evolution between male and female traits within hermaphroditic molluscs. In this symposium we aim at an overview of research on sexual selection in molluscs, with the purpose of stimulating and guiding further research on this topic.
Contact:
Dr. Ronald Chase, Dept. Biology, McGill University, 1205 Ave. Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1, Canada
Dr. Joris Koene, Dept. Animal Ecology, Free University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
