Some Evolutionary Consequences of Pegmatypic Mating Systems (Imprinting)

Deterministic models are employed to investigate the evolutionary consequences of selection due to imprinted mating preferences in relation to the domestic pigeon Columba livia and to sexually monomorphic and dimorphic species of ducks. It is found that in large populations with absolute imprinting, the population tends to split into two noninterbreeding groups each characterized by a different allele, whereas with relative mating preferences a stable equilibrium tends to become established. The terms pegmatype and pegmatypic mating are introduced to describe such mating preferences and such a mating system.