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Related Concept Videos

Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

11.8K
Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
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Inclusive Fitness00:57

Inclusive Fitness

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Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.
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Types of Selection01:46

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Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
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Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

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The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...
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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
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Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

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Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Sexual Transmission of American Trypanosomes from Males and Females to Naive Mates
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Parasitism, host immune function, and sexual selection.

A P Møller1, P Christe, E Lux

  • 1Laboratoire d'Ecologie, CNRS URA 258, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. AMOLLER@HALL.SNV.JUSSIEU.FR

The Quarterly Review of Biology
|March 19, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Parasite load negatively impacts male sexual traits, influencing mate choice. Immune function measures reveal stronger effects than parasite counts, highlighting parasite resistance in sexual selection.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Parasitology

Background:

  • Sexual selection is influenced by parasites, with females potentially avoiding infected males or seeking parasite resistance genes.
  • Existing studies present mixed evidence regarding parasite-mediated sexual selection hypotheses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To meta-analyze the relationship between parasite load and male secondary sexual character expression.
  • To investigate factors influencing the strength of parasite-mediated sexual selection, including parasite type and host characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • A meta-analysis synthesized data from existing studies on host-parasite systems.
  • Studies were categorized by methodology (experimental vs. observational), parasite type (ecto- vs. endoparasites), and measurement (parasite load vs. immune function).

Main Results:

  • A significant negative correlation was found between parasite load and male secondary sexual character expression.
  • Experimental studies and ectoparasite data showed stronger negative relationships.
  • Measures of host immune function revealed stronger effects than direct parasite load measurements.

Conclusions:

  • Parasite resistance is a key factor in parasite-mediated sexual selection.
  • Future research should prioritize immune function assessments for a clearer understanding of these dynamics.