Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates
Optimal sex allocation theory is one of the most intricately developed areas of evolutionary ecology. Under a range of conditions, particularly under population sub-division, selection favours sex being allocated to offspring non-randomly, generating non-binomial variances of offspring group sex rat...
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Elsevier
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37096/ |
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| author | Wilkinson, Richard D. Kapranas, Apostolos Hardy, Ian C.W. |
| author_facet | Wilkinson, Richard D. Kapranas, Apostolos Hardy, Ian C.W. |
| author_sort | Wilkinson, Richard D. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Optimal sex allocation theory is one of the most intricately developed areas of evolutionary ecology. Under a range of conditions, particularly under population sub-division, selection favours sex being allocated to offspring non-randomly, generating non-binomial variances of offspring group sex ratios. Detecting non-binomial sex allocation is complicated by stochastic developmental mortality, as offspring sex can often only be identified on maturity with the sex of non-maturing offspring remaining unknown. We show that current approaches for detecting non-binomiality have limited ability to detect non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality has occurred. We present a new procedure using an explicit model of sex allocation and mortality and develop a Bayesian model selection approach (available as an R package). We use the double and multiplicative binomial distributions to model over- and under-dispersed sex allocation and show how to calculate Bayes factors for comparing these alternative models to the null hypothesis of binomial sex allocation.
The ability to detect non-binomial sex allocation is greatly increased, particularly in cases where mortality is common. The use of Bayesian methods allows for the quantification of the evidence in favour of each hypothesis, and our modelling approach provides an improved descriptive capability over existing approaches. We use a simulation study to situations where current methods fail, and we illustrate the approach in real scenarios using empirically obtained datasets on the sexual composition of groups of gregarious parasitoid wasps demonstrate substantial improvements in power for detecting non-binomial sex allocation in situations where current methods fail, and we illustrate the approach in real scenarios using empirically obtained datasets on the sexual composition of groups of gregarious parasitoid wasps. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:31:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-37096 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:31:21Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-370962020-05-04T18:22:13Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37096/ Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates Wilkinson, Richard D. Kapranas, Apostolos Hardy, Ian C.W. Optimal sex allocation theory is one of the most intricately developed areas of evolutionary ecology. Under a range of conditions, particularly under population sub-division, selection favours sex being allocated to offspring non-randomly, generating non-binomial variances of offspring group sex ratios. Detecting non-binomial sex allocation is complicated by stochastic developmental mortality, as offspring sex can often only be identified on maturity with the sex of non-maturing offspring remaining unknown. We show that current approaches for detecting non-binomiality have limited ability to detect non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality has occurred. We present a new procedure using an explicit model of sex allocation and mortality and develop a Bayesian model selection approach (available as an R package). We use the double and multiplicative binomial distributions to model over- and under-dispersed sex allocation and show how to calculate Bayes factors for comparing these alternative models to the null hypothesis of binomial sex allocation. The ability to detect non-binomial sex allocation is greatly increased, particularly in cases where mortality is common. The use of Bayesian methods allows for the quantification of the evidence in favour of each hypothesis, and our modelling approach provides an improved descriptive capability over existing approaches. We use a simulation study to situations where current methods fail, and we illustrate the approach in real scenarios using empirically obtained datasets on the sexual composition of groups of gregarious parasitoid wasps demonstrate substantial improvements in power for detecting non-binomial sex allocation in situations where current methods fail, and we illustrate the approach in real scenarios using empirically obtained datasets on the sexual composition of groups of gregarious parasitoid wasps. Elsevier 2016-11-07 Article PeerReviewed Wilkinson, Richard D., Kapranas, Apostolos and Hardy, Ian C.W. (2016) Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 408 . pp. 167-178. ISSN 1095-8541 Sex ratio Under-dispersion Bayes factor Markov chain Monte Carlo http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022519316302429 doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.08.008 doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.08.008 |
| spellingShingle | Sex ratio Under-dispersion Bayes factor Markov chain Monte Carlo Wilkinson, Richard D. Kapranas, Apostolos Hardy, Ian C.W. Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates |
| title | Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates |
| title_full | Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates |
| title_fullStr | Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates |
| title_short | Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates |
| title_sort | detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates |
| topic | Sex ratio Under-dispersion Bayes factor Markov chain Monte Carlo |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37096/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37096/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/37096/ |