The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 33 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Towards a resolution of the lek paradox
Abstract
Genetic benefits in the shape of 'good genes' have been invoked to explain costly female choice in the absence of direct fitness benefits. Little genetic variance in fitness traits is expected, however, because directional selection tends to drive beneficial alleles to fixation. There seems to be little potential, therefore, for female choice to result in genetic benefits, giving rise to the 'lek paradox'. Nevertheless, evidence shows that genetic variance persists despite directional selection and genetic benefits of female choice are frequently reported. A theoretical solution to the lek paradox has been proposed on the basis of two assumptions: that traits are condition-dependent, and that condition shows high genetic variance. The observed genetic variability in sexual traits will be accounted for, because a proportion of the genetic variance in condition will be captured and expressed in the trait. Here we report results from experiments showing that male courtship rate in the dung beetle Onthophagus taurus is a condition-dependent trait that is preferred by females. More importantly, male condition has high genetic variance and is genetically correlated with courtship rate. Our results thereby represent a significant step towards a resolution of the lek paradox.
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“Thus far, no studies have addressed how genetic diversity might be maintained over time for BSF in light of the lekking paradox (Kotiaho et al. 2001).”
From Beyond the Black Box: Reproductive Strategies of the Black Soldier Fly as a Model for Bridging Evolutionary Biology and Applied Entomology (2026) · cites this paper as Kotiaho et al. 2001
Citations
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Cited by
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The evolution of mate choice and mating biases
Kokko, H., Brooks, R. C., Jennions, M. D., & Morley, J. I. (2003) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2002.2235 · Cited by 957
Phenotypic integration: studying the ecology and evolution of complex phenotypes
Pigliucci, M. (2003) · Ecology Letters · doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00428.x · Cited by 831
Cotton, S., Fowler, K., & Pomiankowski, A. (2004) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2004.2688 · Cited by 625
On the resolution of the lek paradox
Kotiaho, J. S., LeBas, N. R., Puurtinen, M., & Tomkins, J. L. (2008) · Trends in Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.tree.2007.09.012 · Cited by 619
Self-citationGenic capture and resolving the lek paradox
Tomkins, J. L., Radwan, J., Kotiaho, J. S., & Tregenza, T. (2004) · Trends in Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.tree.2004.03.029 · Cited by 581
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Kotiaho, J. S., Simmons, L. W., & Tomkins, J. L.
- Affiliations
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- University of St Andrews (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Kotiaho, Janne S.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2001-04
- Volume
- 410
- Issue
- 6829
- Pages
- 684-686
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W1624004185
- Cited by
- 301
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 24.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Keywords
- lek paradox, female mate choice, good genes, genetic variance, directional selection, male condition, Onthophagus taurus, dung beetles, genetic correlation, sexual selection
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Coleoptera, Courtship, Biological Evolution, Female, Food, Male, Models, Biological, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Genetic Variation
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