2. Academic Validation
  3. Evolutionary importance of intraspecific variation in sex pheromones

Evolutionary importance of intraspecific variation in sex pheromones

  • Trends Ecol Evol. 2021 Sep;36(9):848-859. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.005.
Chiara De Pasqual 1,  Astrid T Groot 2,  Johanna Mappes 3,  Emily Burdfield-Steel 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland. Electronic address: chiara.depasqual@jyu.fi.
  • 2 Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, Amsterdam 1098 XH, The Netherlands.
  • 3 Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland; Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 4, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
PMID: 34167852 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.05.005
Abstract

Sex pheromones in many insect species are important species-recognition signals that attract conspecifics and inhibit attraction between heterospecifics; therefore, sex pheromones have predominantly been considered to evolve due to interactions between species. Recent research, however, is uncovering roles for these signals in mate choice, and that variation within and between populations can be drivers of species evolution. Variation in pheromone communication channels arises from a combination of context-dependent, condition-dependent, or genetic mechanisms in both signalers and receivers. Variation can affect mate choice and thus gene flow between individuals and populations, affecting species' evolution. The complex interactions between intraspecific and interspecific selection forces calls for more integrative studies to understand the evolution of sex pheromone communication.

Keywords

intraspecific communication; sexual communication; signal evolution; species interactions; trait variation.

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