@ARTICLE{TreeBASE2Ref27586, author = {Erik R Hanschen and Matthew D Herron and John J. Wiens and Hisayoshi Nozaki and Richard E Michod}, title = {Multicellularity drives the evolution of sexual traits}, year = {2017}, keywords = {sex, volvocine green algae, multicellularity, ancestral state reconstruction, anisogamy, sexual dimorphism}, doi = {}, url = {http://}, pmid = {}, journal = {The American Naturalist}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, abstract = {From the male peacock?s tail plumage to the floral displays of flowering plants, traits related to sexual reproduction are often complex and exaggerated. Why has sexual reproduction become so complicated? Why have such exaggerated sexual traits evolved? Early work posited a connection of multicellularity with sexual traits such as anisogamy (i.e., the evolution of sperm and eggs), which in turn drives the evolution of other forms of sexual dimorphism. Yet, the relationship between multicellularity and the evolution of sexual traits has not been empirically tested. Due to high morphological variation in both multicellular complexity and sexual systems between species, the volvocine green algae offer a tractable system for understanding the interrelationship of multicellular complexity and sex. Here we show that species with higher metrics of multicellular complexity have significantly more derived sexual traits, including anisogamy, internal fertilization, and exaggerated sexual dimorphism. Our results demonstrate that anisogamy repeatedly evolved from isogamous multicellular ancestors and that anisogamous species are larger and produce larger zygotes than isogamous species. In the volvocine algae, the evolution of multicellularity likely drives the evolution of anisogamy, and anisogamy subsequently drives exaggerated sexual dimorphism, suggesting that multicellularity sets the stage for the overall diversity of sexual complexity throughout the Tree of Life.} }

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