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Related Concept Videos

Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

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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.
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Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

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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...
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Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
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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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Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

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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.
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Epistasis01:39

Epistasis

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In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients
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Eggshell coloration and its importance in postmating sexual selection.

Miroslav Poláček1, Matteo Griggio2, Ivan Mikšík3

  • 1Institute of Zoology Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava Slovakia; Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna Vienna Austria.

Ecology and Evolution
|February 8, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Avian eggshell color signals offspring quality, influencing parental investment in Tree Sparrows. Pigmented eggs indicate better quality, leading to increased male care and maternal investment, supporting sexual selection in birds.

Keywords:
Tree Sparrowdifferential allocationeggshell colorationfemale qualitypaternal investmentsexual selection

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Area of Science:

  • Zoology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Avian eggshell coloration serves structural and signaling functions.
  • The role of eggshell color in sexual selection is an area of ongoing research.
  • Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) eggs exhibit significant variation in brown spots and patches.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of eggshell coloration in sexual selection in Tree Sparrows.
  • To determine if eggshell color signals female, egg, or chick quality.
  • To examine if males adjust parental investment based on eggshell coloration signals.

Main Methods:

  • Correlative analysis of eggshell coloration with pigment concentrations (protoporphyrin and biliverdin).
  • Assessment of eggshell coloration as an indicator of female, egg, and offspring quality.
  • Examination of maternal investment and male parental investment in relation to egg pigmentation and male ornaments.

Main Results:

  • Eggshell coloration is primarily influenced by protoporphyrin.
  • Eggshell pigmentation correlates with egg and offspring quality, but not female quality.
  • Females lay more pigmented eggs when paired with males possessing larger melanin-based ornaments.
  • Males show increased investment in chicks from more pigmented clutches.

Conclusions:

  • Eggshell coloration in Tree Sparrows may signal female postmating investment rather than female quality.
  • Differential allocation of parental investment by both sexes supports a role for sexual selection in eggshell coloration.
  • Results support the hypothesis of sexually selected eggshell coloration in birds with brown, protoporphyrin-pigmented eggs.