Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

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...

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.The collection of fossils within sedimentary rocks give a record of common ancestry and often depicts the history of evolution.

Types of Selection

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...

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.The genetics of speciation involves the different traits or isolating mechanisms preventing gene exchange, leading to reproductive isolation. Reproductive isolation can be due to reproductive barriers that have effects either before or after the formation of a zygote. Pre-zygotic mechanisms prevent fertilization from occurring, and post-zygotic mechanisms...

Mate Choice

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.

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Paternal dietary macronutrients affect the seminal vesicle fluid proteome and fetal development: a geometric framework for nutrition study in mice.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026

Same author

Macronutrient mixtures and interactions in health and disease.

Nature reviews. Endocrinology·2026

Same author

Mating-dependent lifespan cost of sterol depletion in male <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Drosophila disengage systemic protein storage as an evolutionary response to chronic larval malnutrition.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2026

Same author

An appetite for protein.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Effect of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation Alone or Combined With Tryptophan or Methionine on Appetite Control and Related Health Outcomes in Older Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

JMIR research protocols·2026

Same journal

Hunting ecology predicts eye arrangements in the modular visual system of spiders.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Sub-second fluctuations between top-down and bottom-up modes distinguish diverse human brain states.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Queen bees offload pesticide burden to eggs when social buffering is overwhelmed.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Pitch selectivity in ferret auditory cortex.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

A cell size-dependent competition between geometry and polarity governs nuclear and spindle positioning in early embryos.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Trophic cascades drive sustainability in the agricultural heritage rice-fish coculture system.

Current biology : CB·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

Evolution: radiotracking sexual selection.

Gregory A Sword¹, Stephen J Simpson

¹School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia. greg.sword@@bio.usyd.edu.au

Current Biology : CB

|October 30, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sexual size dimorphism is common in insects. A study on male giant weta found that smaller males with longer legs are more successful at inseminating females, challenging typical assumptions about size advantage.

More Related Videos

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Sexual Selection
Animal Behavior

Background:

Sexual size dimorphism, where one sex is larger than the other, is a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom.
The evolutionary drivers and adaptive significance of size differences between sexes are not fully understood across all species.
In many species, larger body size is presumed to confer advantages in competition for mates.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between body size, morphology, and mating success in male giant weta (Deinacrida heteracantha).
To explore the specific traits that contribute to reproductive success in a species exhibiting sexual size dimorphism.
To challenge the assumption that larger males invariably achieve greater mating success.

Main Methods:

Male giant weta were equipped with radio-tracking devices to monitor their movements and locate potential mating opportunities.
Measurements of body size (e.g., mass, length) and leg length were taken for individual males.
Mating success was determined by observing insemination events or through genetic analysis of offspring.

Main Results:

Contrary to expectations, smaller male giant weta, characterized by proportionally longer legs, demonstrated higher success rates in inseminating females.
Locomotory performance, influenced by leg length, appears to be a critical factor in achieving fertilization.
Larger males did not exhibit a corresponding advantage in insemination success, suggesting a trade-off or alternative mating strategies.

Conclusions:

The study reveals that in male giant weta, traits associated with mobility, such as longer legs, can be more advantageous for reproductive success than sheer body size.
These findings highlight the complex and sometimes counterintuitive nature of sexual selection and the evolution of sexual size dimorphism.
Further research is needed to elucidate the specific behavioral mechanisms and selective pressures driving these size-related mating dynamics.