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

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...

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,...

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.

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.

Limits to Natural Selection

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Dietary RNA: Integration of RNA Data Offers a Potential Paradigm Shift for Molecular Dietary Analyses.

Molecular ecology resources·2026

Same author

Extreme heat impacts on daily life and adaptive behaviours captured through lived experience.

Environmental research letters : ERL [Web site]·2026

Same author

Divergent Selection on Dispersal Targets Chemosensory and Neuronal Genes in Tribolium castaneum.

Molecular ecology·2026

Same author

Fast females, slow males: accelerated ageing and reproductive senescence in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> females across diverse social environments.

Evolution letters·2026

Same author

Evolutionary trade-offs between intergenerational and transgenerational fitness effects.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Female fruit flies use social cues to make egg-clustering decisions.

BMC biology·2025

Same journal

Daily briefing: 'Cyborg' cockroaches breathe underwater with printed suit.

Nature·2026

Same journal

China boosts prestigious grants for young scientists - will it ease competition?

Nature·2026

Same journal

Incoming US science academy chief vows to 'double down' on research.

Nature·2026

Same journal

Author Correction: Synthesis of enantioenriched atropisomers by biocatalytic deracemization.

Nature·2026

Same journal

Electrodeposited self-assembled molecules for perovskite photovoltaics.

Nature·2026

Same journal

Neutrino's nursery found: the 'Shadow Blaster'.

Nature·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Rearing and Long-Term Maintenance of Eristalis tenax Hoverflies for Research Studies

Rearing and Long-Term Maintenance of Eristalis tenax Hoverflies for Research Studies

Published on: May 19, 2018

Sexual selection protects against extinction.

Alyson J Lumley¹, Łukasz Michalczyk², James J N Kitson¹

¹School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.

|May 19, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sexual selection helps populations purge harmful mutations, reducing genetic load. This improves survival and resilience, particularly under inbreeding stress, demonstrating a key benefit of sexual reproduction.

More Related Videos

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: December 2, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Rearing and Long-Term Maintenance of Eristalis tenax Hoverflies for Research Studies

Rearing and Long-Term Maintenance of Eristalis tenax Hoverflies for Research Studies

Published on: May 19, 2018

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: December 2, 2022

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Population Genetics
Sexual Selection

Background:

Sexual reproduction incurs costs, with only half of adults reproducing.
Sexual selection may counteract these costs by purging mutation load.
Mutation load, the accumulation of deleterious mutations, limits fitness.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally test if sexual selection reduces mutation load and enhances population viability.
To compare the effects of strong versus weak sexual selection on purging mutation load.

Main Methods:

Evolved replicate populations of Tribolium castaneum for 6-7 years under differing sexual selection strengths.
Induced mutation load through controlled inbreeding (sib × sib mating).
Assessed population resilience and fitness decline under inbreeding.

Main Results:

Populations with prior strong sexual selection showed resilience to extinction under inbreeding.
These lineages maintained fitness for over 20 generations of inbreeding.
Populations with weak/no sexual selection experienced rapid fitness decline and extinction within 10 generations.

Conclusions:

Sexual selection effectively reduces genome-wide mutation load, even for mutations with small individual effects.
This reduction in mutation load significantly improves population viability and resistance to genetic stress.
Sexual selection provides a genetic benefit that offsets the costs of sexual reproduction.