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Related Concept Videos

Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

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...
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

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, inherently...
Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

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.
Inclusive Fitness00:57

Inclusive Fitness

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.
Hardy-Weinberg Principle01:49

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.In the early 20th century,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
05:39

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: December 2, 2022

Frequency-dependent selection and the evolution of assortative mating.

Sarah P Otto1, Maria R Servedio, Scott L Nuismer

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. otto@zoology.ubc.ca

Genetics
|July 29, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Selection favors assortative mating, a key to speciation, when heterozygotes have lower fitness. Costs can hinder but not prevent reproductive isolation, especially when mating occurs within established groups.

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Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
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Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Speciation research
  • Population genetics

Background:

  • Identifying conditions for reproductive isolation and speciation is a major evolutionary biology goal.
  • Sympatric speciation is of particular interest due to empirical challenges and conflicting theoretical models.
  • Assortative mating reduces gene flow between sympatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze conditions favoring assortative mating evolution under frequency-dependent selection.
  • To investigate the role of heterozygote fitness in driving indirect selection for assortative mating.
  • To examine how mating system costs and sexual selection impact reproductive isolation.

Main Methods:

  • A general model of frequency-dependent selection was used.
  • A two-locus diploid model analyzed trait locus and assortment locus interactions.
  • Both equilibrium and non-equilibrium scenarios were examined.

Main Results:

  • Indirect selection for assortative mating occurs when heterozygotes are less fit than homozygotes.
  • Costs of assortative mating can impede but not necessarily prevent reproductive isolation.
  • Mating within pre-formed groups most effectively promotes assortative mating evolution.
  • Female preference-based assortative mating can limit polymorphism and hinder isolation, unless reinforcement is already active.

Conclusions:

  • Heterozygote disadvantage is a key driver for the evolution of assortative mating and reproductive isolation.
  • The mating system structure significantly influences the evolution of complete assortative mating.
  • Sexual selection can promote reproductive isolation under specific conditions, particularly when assortative mating is already prevalent.