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Jumping Spider Dances: Sexual Selection Caught in the Act

Evolutionary biologists have theorized that sexual selection can speed up speciation, but it has proved difficult to find hard evidence. Masta and Maddison have found a compelling example of exactly this process.

Populations that have recently been isolated from each other might be expected to become less and less like each other over time simply by random changes, or by selection pressure from living under different conditions. In addition to the evidence provided by the fact that the male jumping spiders have changed their appearance and the females haven't, the researchers found that male traits are evolving more quickly than background mutations.

Someday these populations might actually become distinct species. In the meantime, they provide a wonderful example of incipient speciation that is being propelled by sexual selection.

Reference:

Masta, S.E. and W.P. Maddison. 2002. Sexual selection driving diversification in jumping spiders. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., Vol. 99, Issue 7, 4442-4447, April 2, 2002.

Copyright © 2002 National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Within-site Links:
Abstract of the Masta & Maddison article.

Off-site Links:
The Habronattus page at the Tree of Life.
Wayne Maddison's home page.

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