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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...

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...

Frequency-dependent Selection

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...

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.

What is Natural Selection?

What is Natural Selection?

Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.The Theory of Natural...

Inclusive Fitness

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 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

Sexual selection and condition-dependence.

R A Johnstone¹, S A Rands, M R Evans

¹Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. raj1003@cam.ac.uk

Journal of Evolutionary Biology

|October 31, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sexual selection theory assumes exaggerated ornaments become more condition-dependent. However, this study reveals trait exaggeration doesn't always increase condition-dependence, questioning sexual signals' information content.

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Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Behavioral Ecology
Sexual Selection

Background:

The handicap theory posits that females prefer mates with extravagant ornaments signaling quality.
It is commonly assumed that exaggerated ornamental traits become more condition-dependent and informative due to sexual selection.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether sexually selected trait exaggeration inevitably leads to increased condition-dependence.
To explore the relationship between trait size, cost, and condition-dependence in sexually selected signals.

Main Methods:

Theoretical modeling of trait exaggeration under sexual selection.
Analysis of the mathematical relationship between trait size, cost, and condition-dependence.

Main Results:

Trait expression's condition-dependence does not necessarily increase with exaggeration.
The relationship between trait size and cost can lead to increased, decreased, or unchanged condition-dependence during exaggeration.
Sexual selection may not be the sole driver of information content in sexual signals.

Conclusions:

The assumption that exaggerated sexual ornaments are always more informative due to increased condition-dependence is challenged.
The information content of sexual signals may stem from both sexual selection and pre-existing natural selection on condition-dependence.