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

Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

8.0K
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.
8.0K
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

95
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,...
95
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

40.3K
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...
40.3K
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

91
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...
91
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

21.9K
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.
21.9K
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

253
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...
253

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same authorSame journal

Biological Sex Is Binary and Rooted in Anisogamy.

Ecology letters·2026
Same author

Adult sex ratios in captive reptiles, birds and mammals vary with the sex determination system.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Hunting Guild Mediates the Effects of Fecundity and Mortality on Sexual Size Dimorphism in Spiders.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Demographic causes and social consequences of adult sex ratio variation.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Male Strategic Association With Mating Partners Under Varying Social Contexts in a Livebearing Fish.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Adult Sex Ratio as a Demographic Feedback Linking Mating Systems, Parental Care, and Evolution.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2025

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
09:34

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

14.6K

Pre-Copulatory Sexual Selection Predicts Sexual Size Dimorphism: A Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies.

Lennart Winkler1,2, Robert P Freckleton3, Tamás Székely4,5,6

  • 1Applied Zoology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Ecology Letters
|October 2, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD), or size differences between sexes, is often driven by sexual selection. Pre-copulatory sexual selection, like male competition and female choice, strongly predicts male-biased SSD across animal species.

Keywords:
SSDmeta‐analysispre‐copulatory sexual selectionsexual dimorphismsex‐specific selection

More Related Videos

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
06:00

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila

Published on: October 1, 2011

13.8K
Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

9.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 11, 2025

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
09:34

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

14.6K
Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
06:00

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila

Published on: October 1, 2011

13.8K
Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

9.6K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Zoology
  • Behavioral ecology

Background:

  • Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is a widespread phenomenon across the animal kingdom with significant ecological and behavioral implications.
  • While traditionally attributed to sexual selection, ecological factors are also proposed to influence the evolution of sex-specific body sizes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a global analysis investigating the role of sexual selection in the evolution of SSD.
  • To determine whether pre- or post-copulatory sexual selection is a stronger predictor of SSD.

Main Methods:

  • A meta-analysis synthesizing data from 77 comparative studies across diverse animal taxa.
  • Statistical examination of the correlation between sexual selection intensity and SSD patterns.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive correlation was found between intense sexual selection and male-biased SSD across species.
  • Pre-copulatory sexual selection, encompassing male-male competition and female choice, significantly predicted SSD.
  • Post-copulatory sexual selection did not show a significant predictive relationship with SSD.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-copulatory sexual selection is a primary driver in the evolution of male-biased sexual size dimorphism.
  • Findings highlight the critical role of mating behaviors and competition in shaping sex-specific body size evolution.