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On the Emergence of Intersexual Selection: Arbitrary Trait Preference Improves Female-Male Coevolution
1University of the West of England, Department of Computer Science & Creative Technologies. Larry.Bull@uwe.ac.uk.
Artificial Life
|September 16, 2021
Summary
Intersexual selection compensates for coevolutionary dynamics in isogamous species. Arbitrary trait preferences in sexual selection benefit species with high inter-sex dependence, regardless of which sex prefers.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Sexual selection is crucial for eukaryotic evolution.
- Isogamy presents unique coevolutionary challenges between sexes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate intersexual selection as a mechanism to manage coevolutionary dynamics in isogamy.
- To model the benefits of arbitrary trait preference in sexual selection.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the NKCS model to simulate evolutionary dynamics.
- Varied parameters such as fitness landscape size, ruggedness, and connectedness.
Main Results:
- A purely arbitrary trait preference sexual selection mechanism proved beneficial.
- Benefits were observed under conditions of high inter-sex dependence.
- The advantage persisted whether one or both sexes engaged in intersexual selection.
Conclusions:
- Intersexual selection can effectively mitigate coevolutionary conflicts arising from isogamy.
- Arbitrary trait preferences can be evolutionarily advantageous in specific ecological contexts.
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