Sexual selection predicts species richness across the animal kingdom

Author:

Janicke Tim12ORCID,Ritchie Michael G.3ORCID,Morrow Edward H.1ORCID,Marie-Orleach Lucas3ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

2. Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier, École Pratique des Hautes Études, 34090 Montpellier, France

3. Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK

Abstract

Our improving knowledge of the animal tree of life consistently demonstrates that some taxa diversify more rapidly than others, but what contributes to this variation remains poorly understood. An influential hypothesis proposes that selection arising from competition for mating partners plays a key role in promoting speciation. However, empirical evidence showing a link between proxies of this sexual selection and species richness is equivocal. Here, we collected standardized metrics of sexual selection for a broad range of animal taxa, and found that taxonomic families characterized by stronger sexual selection on males show relatively higher species richness. Thus, our data support the hypothesis that sexual selection elevates species richness. This could occur either by promoting speciation and/or by protecting species against extinction.

Funder

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

Publisher

The Royal Society

Subject

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,General Environmental Science,General Immunology and Microbiology,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine

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