Abstract
PETIT1 and others have shown that in a variety of Drosophila species the mating success of male genotypes is often dependent on their frequency in the population. This frequency-dependent mating effect seems to be relatively unimportant in females, and by favouring rare male genotypes represents a possible mechanism by which genetic variation can be maintained in a population. Whether or not this form of selection is wide-spread in natural populations is unknown, although, in the laboratory at least, it has been shown that the phenomenon occurs in insects other than Drosophila2,3.
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References
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NUNNEY, L. Hardy–Weinberg ratios and rare male mating advantage. Nature 259, 304–305 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259304a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/259304a0
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