A male spider’s ornamentation polymorphism maintained by opposing selection with two niches

Authors

Bo Deng, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Alex Estes, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Brett Grieb, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Douglas Richard, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Brittney Hinds, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Eileen Hebets, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

5-2014

Citation

Published in Journal of Theoretical Biology 357 (2014), pp. 103–111; doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2014.05.001

Comments

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Used by permission.

Abstract

The Levene mechanism to maintain genotypic polymorphism by opposing selection on genotypes in multiple niches was proposed 60 years ago, and yet no systems were found to satisfy the mechanisms rather restrictive conditions. Reported here is such an example that a wolf spider population lives in a habitat of mixed rocks and leafy litter for which the females are phenotypically indistinguishable and the males have two distinct phenotypes subject to opposing selection with respect to the substrates. Census data is best-fitted to a population genetics model of the Levene type. A majority of the best fit support polymorphism, with many fitted parameter values quantitatively consistent with various laboratory studies on two closely related species.