Even though sexual selection is generally hypothesized to be an important factor in the speciation process, it is still unclear when and how divergence in sexual communication occurs; does it follow ecological adaptation, could it drive ecological adaptation, and/or does divergence in sexual communcation occur pleiotropically with ecological adaptation? When signals are costly, they are likely to be honest and probably at least partly under sexual selection. However, when the predominant role of sexual communication is species recognition, sexual selection is likely less important than natural selection. Sources of variation in the habitat that may affect chemical communication systems include the presence and abundance of species with similar chemical cues, host plants, predators and parasitoids that may home in on the signals, and microbes (pathogens or symbionts). Genetically, when signals and preferences are governed by the same or closely-linked genes, Fisherian runaway selection can easily occur. However, when signals and preferences are governed by independently assorting genes, evolutionary scenarios become more difficult. For this special issue we invite the submission of high quality original research papers and mini-reviews dealing with intra- and interspecific variation in sexual communication in an evolutionary context.

Dr. Astrid T. Groot
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• intra- and interspecific variation in sexual communication;
• genes underlying sexual signals and preferences;
• natural selection (species with similar cues, host plants, predators and parasitoids, interactions with microbes);
• sexual selection ((fe)male choice, intrasex competition);
• social selection;
• plasticity in the signal;
• plasticity in the preference (learning, (de)sensitization);
• co-evolution of signals and preferences;