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Related Concept Videos

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.
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...
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

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...
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
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.

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Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
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Sexual selection in prehistoric animals: detection and implications.

Robert J Knell1, Darren Naish, Joseph L Tomkins

  • 1School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK. R.Knell@qmul.ac.uk

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|September 8, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Fossil animals with exaggerated features like horns likely used them for sexual selection, such as in mating or combat. Distinguishing sexual selection from other functions requires careful analysis of traits and alternative hypotheses.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Fossilized animals often exhibit prominent features like crests and horns.
  • The function of these exaggerated traits is frequently debated, with biomechanical and physiological explanations often favored over sexual selection.
  • Recognizing and confirming sexual selection in extinct species presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of sexual selection in the evolution of exaggerated traits in fossil animals.
  • To discuss the methodologies and challenges in testing sexual selection hypotheses for fossil evidence.
  • To provide a framework for distinguishing between sexual selection and other functional interpretations of such features.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on fossil animal morphology and functional interpretations.
  • Analysis of case studies where sexual selection has been proposed or supported.
  • Discussion of key indicators for inferring sexual selection, including sexual dimorphism, ontogeny, and allometry.
  • Emphasis on rigorous testing of alternative hypotheses.

Main Results:

  • Sexual selection is a plausible and, in some cases, strongly supported explanation for exaggerated features in fossil taxa.
  • Interpreting these structures solely through biomechanics or physiology may overlook crucial evolutionary drivers.
  • Several fossil examples now have robust evidence supporting sexual selection.

Conclusions:

  • While challenging, identifying sexual selection in fossil species is achievable through careful analysis.
  • A multi-faceted approach, considering sexual dimorphism, ontogeny, allometry, and ruling out alternative hypotheses, is essential.
  • Sexual selection likely played a significant role in the evolution of many striking features observed in the fossil record.