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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.

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...

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.

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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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...

The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes

The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes

In most organisms, sex is determined by the ratio of X and Y chromosomes. However, in some organisms, such as Drosophila and C.elegans, sex is determined by the ratio of the number of X chromosomes to the number of sets of autosomes. The Y chromosome in Drosophila is active but does not determine sex. It contains genes responsible for the production of sperms in adult flies.
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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

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Published on: June 22, 2014

Sexual selection: lessons from hermaphrodite mating systems.

Janet L Leonard¹

¹Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory, University of California 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.

Integrative and Comparative Biology

|June 16, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sexual selection is common in plants and animals, even in hermaphrodites lacking distinct sexes. Research highlights complex mating behaviors and reproductive strategies in hermaphroditic species, expanding our understanding of sexual selection theory.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Reproductive Biology
Zoology

Background:

Sexual selection is a widespread evolutionary force in the plant and animal kingdoms.
Contrary to common assumptions, sexual selection does not require sexual dimorphism, intelligence, or mobility.
Hermaphroditic organisms exhibit numerous phenomena associated with sexual selection.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the prevalence and manifestations of sexual selection in hermaphroditic taxa.
To investigate how sexual selection operates in organisms without distinct sexes.
To identify complexities in hermaphrodite reproductive biology that offer insights into sexual selection theory.

Main Methods:

Review of existing research on sexual selection across diverse taxa.
Analysis of phenomena associated with sexual selection in hermaphrodites, including courtship, sperm competition, and genitalia evolution.
Examination of reproductive sex ratios and sex allocation strategies in hermaphroditic species.

Main Results:

Sexual selection is evident in hermaphrodites through behaviors like elaborate courtship and sperm competition.
Hermaphrodites display rapid evolution of genitalia and specialized courtship structures.
Skewed reproductive sex ratios, even in simultaneous hermaphrodites, create significant potential for sexual selection.

Conclusions:

Sexual selection is a pervasive evolutionary mechanism, extending beyond dimorphic species to include hermaphrodites.
The reproductive biology of hermaphrodites, including sex change and conditional reciprocity, provides unique opportunities to test and refine sexual selection theory.
Further research into hermaphroditic reproductive strategies can significantly enrich our understanding of mating system evolution.