The impact of sexual selection on the adaptive process remains unclear. On the one hand, sexual selection might hinder adaptation by favouring costly traits and preferences that reduce nonsexual fitness. On the other hand, condition dependence of success in sexual selection may accelerate adaptation. Here, we used replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster to artificially select on male desiccation resistance while manipulating the opportunity for precopulatory sexual selection in a factorial design. Following five generations of artificial selection, we measured the desiccation resistance of males and females to test whether the addition of sexual selection accelerated adaptation. We found a significant interaction between the effects of natural selection and sexual selection: desiccation resistance was highest in populations where sexual selection was allowed to operate. Despite only selecting on males, we also found a correlated response in females. These results provide empirical support for the idea that sexual selection can accelerate the rate of adaptation.

中文翻译：

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通过对雄性进行性选择来加速适应干燥的实验证据

性选择对适应过程的影响仍不清楚。一方面，性选择可能会通过偏爱降低非性适应性的代价高昂的特征和偏好来阻碍适应。另一方面，性选择成功的条件依赖性可能会加速适应。在这里，我们使用黑腹果蝇的重复种群来人工选择雄性干燥抗性，同时在因子设计中操纵预交性选择的机会。经过五代人工选择，我们测量了雄性和雌性的抗旱性，以测试添加性选择是否加速了适应。我们发现自然选择和性选择的影响之间存在显着的相互作用：在允许进行性选择的人群中，抗干燥性最高。尽管只选择男性，我们也发现女性的相关反应。这些结果为性选择可以加快适应速度的观点提供了实证支持。