Abstract

Modern speciation research has developed a renewed appreciation for the role of natural and sexual selection in population divergence. Theoretical studies have contributed to this change by illustrating that divergent sexual selection can cause the rapid evolution of reproductive isolation, and by clarifying how ecological interactions can generate a persistent regime of disruptive selection that is capable of supporting adaptive diversification. Yet, these important insights are rooted in independent research traditions that have hardly been integrated. In this talk, I will explore the interface of ecological and sexual selection models based on currently debated topics that each highlight an intimate connection between ecology and sexual selection: magic traits, sensory drive and mate choice based on cues that signal local adaptation. I will argue that ecological and sexual selection models complement each other’s weaknesses and that some fundamental obstacles to speciation with gene flow disappear when the ecological context of sexual selection is taken into account.