Data from: Evolutionary time-series analysis reveals the signature of frequency-dependent selection on a female mating polymorphism

One classical approach is to record frequency changes of heritable and visible genetic polymorphisms over multiple generations. Here, we combined this approach with a maximum likelihood–based population-genetic model with the aim of understanding and quantifying the evolutionary processes operating on a female mating polymorphism in the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans.

Previous studies on this color-polymorphic species have suggested that males form a search image for females, which leads to excessive mating harassment of common female morphs. We analyzed a large temporally and spatially replicated data set of between-generation morph frequency changes in I. elegans. Morph frequencies were more stable than expected from genetic drift alone, suggesting the presence of selection toward a stable equilibrium that prevents local loss or fixation of morphs.