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Published in

Wiley, Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution, 7(56), p. 1538-1542, 2002

DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2002.tb01464.x

Wiley, Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution, 7(56), p. 1538

DOI: 10.1554/0014-3820(2002)056[1538:sdilbs]2.0.co;2

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Sexual dimorphism in lizard body shape: the roles of sexual selection and fecundity selection

Journal article published in 2002 by Mats Olsson, Richard Shine, Erik Wapstra, Beata Uivari, Beata Ujvari ORCID, Thomas Madsen
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Abstract Sexual dimorphism is widespread in lizards, with the most consistently dimorphic traits being head size (males have larger heads) and trunk length (the distance between the front and hind legs is greater in females). These dimorphisms have generally been interpreted as follows: (1) large heads in males evolve through male-male rivalry (sexual selection); and (2) larger interlimb lengths in females provide space for more eggs (fecundity selection). In an Australian lizard (the snow skink, Niveoscincus microlepidotus), we found no evidence for ongoing selection on head size. Trunk length, however, was under positive fecundity selection in females and under negative sexual selection in males. Thus, fecundity selection and sexual selection work in concert to drive the evolution of sexual dimorphism in trunk length in snow skinks.