DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4k271
title: Data from: Reducing mutation load through sexual selection on males

description: Mutation load is a key parameter in evolutionary theories, but relatively
 little empirical information exists on the mutation load of populations,
 or the elimination of this load through selection. We manipulated the
 opportunity for sexual selection within a mutation accumulation divergence
 experiment to determine how sexual selection on males affected the
 accumulation of mutations contributing to sexual and non-sexual fitness.
 Sexual selection prevented the accumulation of mutations affecting male
 mating success, the target trait, as well as reducing mutation load on
 productivity, a non-sexual fitness component. Mutational correlations
 between mating success and productivity (estimated in the absence of
 sexual selection) were positive. Sexual selection significantly reduced
 these fitness component correlations. Male mating success significantly
 diverged between sexual selection treatments, consistent with the fixation
 of genetic differences. However, the rank of the treatments was not
 consistent across assays, indicating that the mutational effects on mating
 success were conditional on biotic and abiotic context. Our experiment
 suggests that greater insight into the genetic targets of natural and
 sexual selection can be gained by focusing on mutational rather than
 standing genetic variation, and on the behavior of trait variances rather
 than means.
description: Female harm viability
 dataThis data is associated
 with the supplementary results, and file was created in Excel. It is the
 count of individual adults (M=males; F=females) emerging from single pair
 matings. Females from Control MA lines (not subjected to sexual selection)
 were paired with random males from either Control or Selection MA lines.
 Approximately 20 females per MA line were mated with males from the
 Selection treatment and 20 with males from the Control treatment. Male
 treatment (C=Control; S=Selection) is recorded. Approximately 10 males per
 MA line were assayed (MaleMALine, with numbers nested within Treatment).
 The mating pairs were set-up over 3 days.Viability
 dataThis data is the count
 of the number of individual adults (M=Male; F=Female) emerging from single
 brother-sister mating pairs. These pairs came from different selection
 treatments (C=Control; S=Selection), with individual MA lines nested
 within treatment. File was created in Excel.Male Mating
 SuccessThis data file was
 created in Excel. It is the mating success of males in assays in
 generations 1, 3, 7, 11 and 23 of a mutation accumulation experiment in
 which one set of 100 lines were subjected to sexual selection on male
 mating success (Treatment = S) and the other set of 100 lines were not
 (Treatment = C; Controls). Except in generation 1, C and S males were
 competed against one another, and half of the assayed males per line had
 their wings clipped for identification (Clip = 1; males without clip,
 Clip=0). Trials were conducted over 2 days each generation. The choosing
 female in these trials came from the stock population. Males were either
 successful in gaining a mating (choice=1) or unsuccessful
 (choice=0).Gen 20 male mating
 successThis data file was
 created in Excel. It is the mating success of males assayed in generation
 20, where females from the MA lines choose between a stock male and a male
 from a MA line. MA lines were divided into two treatments: Controls (C),
 without sexual selection and Selection (S) with sexual selection. Trials
 were conducted over 2 days. . Males were either successful in gaining a
 mating (choice=1) or unsuccessful (choice=0).