Evolutionary Ecology of the Prezygotic Stage

Bernasconi, Giorgina; Ashman, T.-L; Birkhead, T. R; Bishop, J. D. D; Grossniklaus, U; Kubli, E; Marshall, D. L; Schmid, B; Skogsmyr, I; Snook, R. R; Taylor, D; Till-Bottraud, I; Ward, P. I; Zeh, D. W; Hellriegel, B

doi:10.1126/science.1092180

Evolutionary Ecology of the Prezygotic Stage

Author(s)

Bernasconi, Giorgina

Ashman, T.-L

Birkhead, T. R

Bishop, J. D. D

Grossniklaus, U

Kubli, E

Marshall, D. L

Schmid, B

Skogsmyr, I

Snook, R. R

Taylor, D

Till-Bottraud, I

Ward, P. I

Zeh, D. W

Hellriegel, B

Date issued

2004

In

Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Vol

303

No

5660

From page

971

To page

975

Abstract

The life cycles of sexually reproducing animals and flowering plants begin with male and female gametes and their fusion to form a zygote. Selection at this earliest stage is crucial for offspring quality and raises similar evolutionary issues, yet zoology and botany use dissimilar approaches. There are striking parallels in the role of prezygotic competition for sexual selection on males, cryptic female choice, sexual conflict, and against selfish genetic elements and genetic incompatibility. In both groups, understanding the evolution of sex-specific and reproductive traits will require an appreciation of the effects of prezygotic competition on fitness.