Genotype-by-Environment Interactions when the Social Environment Contains Genes

This chapter examines the consequences of genotype-by-social environment interactions (GSEIs) for the evolution of male sexual traits and, more generally, the operation of sexual selection. It starts by developing a series of simple quantitative genetic models to illustrate the importance of GSEIs to the evolutionary process and how they differ from standard GEIs when the environment is abiotic and therefore does not contain genes. The chapter provides a brief overview of how to measure GSEIs, as well as a discussion of empirical studies that have quantified GSEIs in the context of sexual selection. It concludes by suggesting some fruitful avenues for future research that will stimulate more studies to examine the importance of GSEIs in sexual selection.