![]() ![]() "There's lots of documentation of rapid divergence in male proteins," Knowles said, "but there's no data on female response other than to show a genotypic interaction between males and females." Knowles is a research associate in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology. This study documents the female's role in the conflict. However, previous studies have almost always examined male substances. This supports the idea that this acceleration in the evolution of sex traits is related more to sexual conflict than to natural selection. Previous studies have found that substances in the reproductive tract evolve far more rapidly than substances from other parts of the body. This study, however, is one of the few to provide evidence for the arms race using a post-mating character that is manipulated by both males and females. The theory of an arms race between males and females, with each sex evolving adaptations and counter-adaptations, has recently garnered support from theoretical studies. The fruit flies in this study, relatives of the well-known Drosophila melanogaster, live on the rotting flesh of dying cacti. In a paper in the July 10 issue of the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences, Lacey Knowles and Theresa Markow report evidence that population divergence in two species of Drosophila is propelled by male-female interactions. In a new study of desert-dwelling fruit flies, University of Arizona researchers have discovered that differences among populations are driven by an arms race between the sexes.
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