TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex matters
T2 - predator presence induces sexual dimorphism in a monomorphic prey, from stress genes to morphological defences
AU - Vinterstare, Jerker
AU - Brönmark, Christer
AU - Nilsson, P. Anders
AU - Langerhans, R. Brian
AU - Chauhan, Pallavi
AU - Hansson, Bengt
AU - Hulthén, Kaj
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - Inducible defences allow prey to increase survival chances when predators are present while avoiding unnecessary costs in their absence. Many studies report considerable inter-individual variation in inducible defence expression, yet what underlies this variation is poorly understood. A classic vertebrate example of a predator-induced morphological defence is the increased body depth in crucian carp (Carassius carassius), which reduces the risk of predation from gape-size limited predators. Here, we report that among-individual variation in morphological defence expression can be linked to sex. We documented sexual dimorphism in lakes in which crucian carp coexisted with predators, where females showed shallower relative body depths than males, but not in a predator-free lake. When exposing crucian carp from a population without predators to perceived predation risk in a laboratory environment (presence/absence of pike, Esox lucius), we found that males expressed significantly greater morphological defence than females, causing sexual dimorphism only in the presence of predators. We uncovered a correlative link between the sex-specific inducible phenotypic response and gene expression patterns in major stress-related genes (POMC, MC3R, and MC4R). Together, our results highlight that sex-specific responses may be an important, yet underappreciated, component underlying inter-individual differences in the expression of inducible defences, even in species without pronounced sexual dimorphism.
AB - Inducible defences allow prey to increase survival chances when predators are present while avoiding unnecessary costs in their absence. Many studies report considerable inter-individual variation in inducible defence expression, yet what underlies this variation is poorly understood. A classic vertebrate example of a predator-induced morphological defence is the increased body depth in crucian carp (Carassius carassius), which reduces the risk of predation from gape-size limited predators. Here, we report that among-individual variation in morphological defence expression can be linked to sex. We documented sexual dimorphism in lakes in which crucian carp coexisted with predators, where females showed shallower relative body depths than males, but not in a predator-free lake. When exposing crucian carp from a population without predators to perceived predation risk in a laboratory environment (presence/absence of pike, Esox lucius), we found that males expressed significantly greater morphological defence than females, causing sexual dimorphism only in the presence of predators. We uncovered a correlative link between the sex-specific inducible phenotypic response and gene expression patterns in major stress-related genes (POMC, MC3R, and MC4R). Together, our results highlight that sex-specific responses may be an important, yet underappreciated, component underlying inter-individual differences in the expression of inducible defences, even in species without pronounced sexual dimorphism.
KW - POMC
KW - crucian carp
KW - nducible morphological defence
KW - phenotypic plasticity
KW - predator-prey interactions
KW - stress physiology
U2 - 10.1093/evolut/qpac030
DO - 10.1093/evolut/qpac030
M3 - Article
C2 - 36625450
AN - SCOPUS:85147047361
SN - 1558-5646
VL - 77
SP - 304
EP - 317
JO - Evolution; international journal of organic evolution
JF - Evolution; international journal of organic evolution
IS - 1
ER -