Life history trade-offs at a single locus maintain sexually selected genetic variation

Susan E. Johnston (), Jacob Gratten, Camillo Berenos, Jill G. Pilkington, Tim H. Clutton-Brock, Josephine M. Pemberton and Jon Slate ()
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Susan E. Johnston: University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
Jacob Gratten: University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
Camillo Berenos: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
Jill G. Pilkington: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
Tim H. Clutton-Brock: University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
Josephine M. Pemberton: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
Jon Slate: University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK

Nature, 2013, vol. 502, issue 7469, 93-95

Abstract: Wild Soay sheep rams with large horns have more offspring, yet there is considerable genetic variation at RXFP2, a locus strongly implicated in horn size (with different alleles conferring either large or small horns); this study finds that although the larger horn allele leads to more offspring, the smaller horn allele leads to increased survival, meaning heterozygous rams (which develop medium-sized horns) have high reproductive success and survival, providing a rare example of heterozygote advantage.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/nature12489

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