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Recurrent origin of a sexually selected trait in Xiphophorus fishes inferred from a molecular phylogeny

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Abstract

DARWIN1 believed that sexual selection accounts for the evolution of exaggerated male ornaments, such as the sword-like caudal fin extensions of male fishes of the genus Xiphophorus, that appear detrimental to survival. Swordtails continue to feature prominently in empirical work and theories of sexual selection; the pre-existing bias hypothesis has been offered as an explanation for the evolution of swords in these fishes2,3. Based upon a largely morphological phylogeny, this hypothesis suggests that female preference to mate with sworded males arose in ancestrally swordless species, thus pre-dating the origin of the sword itself and directly driving its evolution. Here we present a molecular phylogeny (based on mitochondria! and nuclear DNA sequences) of Xiphophorus which differs from the traditional one: it indicates that the sword originated and was lost repeatedly. Our phylogeny suggests that the ancestor of the genus is more likely to have possessed a sword than not, thus questioning the applicability of the pre-existing bias hypothesis as an explanation for the evolution of this sexually selected trait.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolution State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York, 11794-5245, USA

    Axel Meyer & Jean M. Morrissey

  2. Department of Program in Genetics, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York, 11794-5245, USA

    Axel Meyer

  3. Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften, Biozentrum der Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany

    Manfred Schartl

Authors
  1. Axel Meyer
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  2. Jean M. Morrissey
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  3. Manfred Schartl
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Meyer, A., Morrissey, J. & Schartl, M. Recurrent origin of a sexually selected trait in Xiphophorus fishes inferred from a molecular phylogeny. Nature 368, 539–542 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/368539a0

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