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Abstract
Intralocus sexual conflict occurs when selection on a shared trait in one sex displaces
the other sex from its phenotypic optimum. It arises because many shared traits have
a common genetic basis but undergo contrasting selection in the sexes. A recent surge
of interest in this evolutionary tug of war has yielded evidence of such conflicts
in laboratory and natural populations. Here we highlight outstanding questions about
the causes and consequences of intralocus sexual conflict at the genomic level, and
its long-term implications for sexual coevolution. Whereas recent thinking has focussed
on the role of intralocus sexual conflict as a brake on sexual coevolution, we urge
a broader appraisal that also takes account of its potential to drive adaptive evolution
and speciation.