Phylogenetic Mosaic of an Arms Race with Asymmetrical Sexual Conflict and Its Macroevolutionary Consequences in a Lineage of Small Water Striders
Z Li, Huanyu Chen, Zezhong Jin, Hendrik Freitag, Christine Hecher, Herbert Zettel, Siying Fu, Chen Liu, Mu Qiao, Boxiong Guo, Wenjun Bu, Zhen Ye
The paper examines the macroevolutionary consequences of asymmetrical sexual conflict in water striders, finding that male-driven trait evolution drives diversification while female resistance traits show greater flexibility.
bioRxiv · Sep 22, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology