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Related Concept Videos

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

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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...
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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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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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Mate Choice01:20

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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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Evolutionary Psychology01:20

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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...
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Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
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Selective Interference and the Evolution of Sex.

Sarah P Otto1

  • 1Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, Canada.

The Journal of Heredity
|October 13, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Selective interference, where linked genes affect each other

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Genes on chromosomes are physically linked, influencing how selection acts.
  • This linkage can reduce selection efficiency, causing alleles to change frequency together.
  • This phenomenon is known as Hill-Robertson interference, encompassing clonal interference and Muller's Ratchet.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of selective interference in the evolution and maintenance of sexual reproduction.
  • To analyze evidence supporting or refuting selective interference as an explanation for sex.
  • To identify remaining research gaps in understanding this evolutionary mechanism.

Main Methods:

  • Review of theoretical studies on selective interference and the evolution of sex.
Keywords:
Hill-Robertson effectsMuller’s ratchetclonal interferenceevolution of sexlinkage disequilibriummodifierrecombination

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  • Analysis of empirical evidence from experimental and observational studies.
  • Synthesis of findings to evaluate the contribution of selective interference.

    • Main Results:

    • Selective interference presents a significant challenge to the efficiency of natural selection on linked genes.
    • Evidence from theoretical and empirical studies provides both support and contradictions regarding its role in sex evolution.
    • The precise impact of selective interference on the maintenance of sex requires further investigation.

    Conclusions:

    • Selective interference is a key factor influencing genetic linkage and selection efficiency.
    • Its potential role in the evolution and maintenance of sex is supported by some evidence but remains debated.
    • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms and significance of selective interference in evolutionary processes.