Pitvipers: A model for the study of sexual selection dynamics and complexities
Levine, Brenna A.
Department of Biology
Kean University
Union, New Jersey USA
Sexual selection acts as a filter for genetic variation, mediating the transfer of alleles in a population from one generation to the next via mate choice, with major consequences for evolution. Importantly, sexual selection is dynamic, with operational sex ratios (i.e., the ratio of reproductively-active males to females at a given time) playing a key role in the strength and direction of sexual selection acting in a population. Pitvipers offer a unique window into the complexities of the relationship between operational sex ratios and sexual selection, inviting questions, and perhaps revision, into how we should define and think about operational sex ratios. In this talk, I explore how the reproductive biology and mating ecology of pitvipers affect operational sex ratios and sexual selection dynamics, with emphasis placed on the potential effects of alternative reproductive modes (e.g., long-term sperm storage and facultative parthenogenesis) and length/number of mating seasons on operational sex ratios. I then propose outstanding questions that will drive an exploration of the causes and consequences of sexual selection dynamics, using pitvipers as model systems.