SEX-DEPENDENT HABITAT SELECTION AND GENETIC-POLYMORPHISM

Examines the impact of extant ecological sexual dimorphism on the maintenance of genetic variation via viability selection in different habitats. Given the constraint that, in sexually reproducing outcrossing species, females and males must mate and each must contribute half the genetic content to their offspring, it is not clear how significant any sex-dependent habitat selection would be in maintaining genetic variation. Under some conditions, sex-dependent habitat selection (without sex-dependent viability selection) can enhance the maintenance of genetic polymorphism. It is surprising that broadened conditions for polymorphism, occur with hard (density-independent) selection but not with soft (density-dependent) selection. -from Author