Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

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.
Genetics of Speciation02:16

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
Gene Flow02:39

Gene Flow

Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.
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...
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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Regulatory Logic and Transposable Element Dynamics in Caenorhabditis Genomes.

Genome biology and evolution·2026
Same author

Chromosome Scale Assembly of Novel <i>Caenorhabditis</i> species #65 (JU4118).

Research square·2026
Same author

Chromosome Scale Assembly of Novel <i>Caenorhabditis</i> species #61 (JU4110).

Research square·2026
Same author

A compendium of horizontal gene transfers in Metazoa.

Scientific data·2026
Same author

The eukaryotic horizontal gene transfer dataset a compendium.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Phylogenetic comparative methods for studying adaptation: the adaptation-inertia framework.

Journal of evolutionary biology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 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

Female mating preferences determine system-level evolution in a gene network model.

Janna L Fierst1

  • 1Department of Biological Science, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. jfierst@uoregon.edu

Genetica
|April 16, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Sexual selection, including mate choice, significantly impacts evolution by increasing male robustness. Different sexual selection models reveal varied effects on evolvability and mutational robustness, influencing future adaptation potential.

More Related Videos

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
06:44

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi

Published on: October 5, 2018

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
10:50

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 12, 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

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
06:44

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi

Published on: October 5, 2018

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
10:50

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies

Published on: November 8, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Behavioral ecology

Background:

  • Environmental selection shapes evolution, influencing evolvability and mutational robustness.
  • Intersexual selection imposes strong phenotypic selection, potentially affecting mutation response and future adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess how mating preferences under sexual selection influence evolvability and mutational robustness.
  • To model the evolutionary impact of sexual conflict, Fisher process, and good genes models on male traits and female preferences.

Main Methods:

  • Modeled a male trait and female preference using separate gene regulatory networks.
  • Investigated three sexual selection scenarios: sexual conflict, Gaussian Fisher process, and good genes model.
  • Measured effects on trait/preference evolvability and mutational robustness of phenotype and viability.

Main Results:

  • All sexual selection scenarios enhanced male phenotypic robustness compared to random mating.
  • The Fisher process model decreased male evolvability and viability mutational robustness.
  • Good genes sexual selection led to increased male viability mutational robustness.

Conclusions:

  • Female mate choice generates selective forces that shape genetic evolution and the response to mutation.
  • Sexual selection dynamics influence the potential for future adaptation by altering evolutionary trajectories.
  • Understanding sexual selection's impact on robustness and evolvability is crucial for predicting evolutionary outcomes.