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

Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

23.1K
Overview
23.1K
Genetics of Speciation02:16

Genetics of Speciation

22.5K
Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
22.5K
Formation of Species01:31

Formation of Species

46.1K
Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.
46.1K
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

45.6K
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...
45.6K
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

620
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,...
620
Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

11.9K
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.
11.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Large language models and emergence: a complex systems perspective.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2026
Same author

Constructing stability: optimal learning in noisy ecological niches.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024
Same author

Symmetry-simplicity, broken symmetry-complexity.

Interface focus·2023
Same author

The debate over understanding in AI's large language models.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same author

Institutional dynamics and learning networks.

PloS one·2022
Same author

The Multiple Paths to Multiple Life.

Journal of molecular evolution·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 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

3.3K

SEXUAL SELECTION, SPACE, AND SPECIATION.

Robert J H Payne1, David C Krakauer2

  • 1BBSRC-NERC Ecology and Behaviour Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|June 2, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study shows how sexual selection and dispersal can drive assortative mating, leading to the coexistence of different male traits within a population. This model explains sympatric speciation by incorporating spatial structure.

Keywords:
Fisher processsexual selectionspatial modelsympatric speciation

More Related Videos

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster
08:04

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: November 5, 2015

12.9K
Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
09:34

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

15.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 1, 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

3.3K
Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster
08:04

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: November 5, 2015

12.9K
Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
09:34

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

15.1K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Population Genetics
  • Theoretical Ecology

Background:

  • Assortative mating, where individuals choose mates with similar traits, is a key factor in speciation.
  • Existing models of sympatric speciation often overlook the role of spatial structure and dispersal.
  • Sexual selection, particularly female choice, can lead to rapid trait evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolution of assortative mating in a sympatric population using a combined Fisherian and diffusion model.
  • To explore how spatial structure and mating success-dependent dispersal influence the maintenance of male polymorphisms.
  • To propose a model that can explain the coexistence of distinct male traits within a single population.

Main Methods:

  • Combined a Fisherian model of sexual selection with a diffusion model of mate dispersal.
  • Simulated female mate choice based on male display of sex-limited autosomal traits.
  • Incorporated mating success-dependent dispersal rates for males.

Main Results:

  • Fisherian runaway processes can create linkage disequilibrium between female preferences and male traits, driving assortative mating.
  • Mating success-dependent dispersal allows for the spatial sorting of preference genes, leading to local enrichment.
  • Reduced dispersal of preferred males facilitates the success of alternative male types in adjacent areas, promoting coexistence.

Conclusions:

  • The integration of spatial structure and mating-dependent dispersal provides a mechanism for sympatric speciation.
  • This model can explain the observed coexistence of multiple male morphs within a population, a phenomenon often unexplained by non-spatial models.
  • Explicit spatial dynamics are crucial for understanding the evolution of polymorphisms and speciation in natural populations.