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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
Published on: August 22, 2013
Sexual selection in males and females
1Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. thcb@cam.ac.uk
Abstract:
Research on sexual selection shows that the evolution of secondary sexual characters in males and the distribution of sex differences are more complex than was initially suggested but does not undermine our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms involved. However, the operation of sexual selection in females has still received relatively little attention. Recent studies show that both intrasexual competition between females and male choice of mating partners are common, leading to strong sexual selection in females and, in extreme cases, to reversals in the usual pattern of sex differences in behavior and morphology.
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