Sexual selection related to developmental stability in Drosophila buzzatii

Abstract

Relationships among developmental stability, sexual selection, and body size were examined in the cactophilic fly Drosophila buzzatii. Developmental stability, as measured in terms of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of wing length, was positively associated to male's copulatory success in a mass-mating experiment with wild-reared flies. Previous studies showed that body size is positively correlated with mating success and other fitness components in this species, but no phenotypic correlation between wing asymmetry and size was found in the present study. Thus, wing asymmetry does not indicate male quality in terms of phenotypic variation in body size. This study suggests that sexual selection against wing asymmetry may be mediated through unknown factors related to developmental stability rather than body size.