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Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

40.2K
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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What is a Species?01:17

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Overview
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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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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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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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Genetics of Speciation02:16

Genetics of Speciation

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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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Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

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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.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2025

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
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Sexual selection promotes reproductive isolation in barn swallows.

Drew R Schield1,2, Javan K Carter1, Elizabeth S C Scordato3

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 12, 2024
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Sexual selection on plumage traits in barn swallows is genetically linked to reproductive isolation. Selection on coupled sexual trait loci drives speciation by promoting barriers to gene flow.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Speciation

Background:

  • Sexual selection significantly influences phenotypes, but its direct role in reproductive isolation and speciation remains challenging to demonstrate.
  • Understanding the genetic underpinnings of sexually selected traits is crucial for linking evolutionary processes to speciation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic basis of sexually selected plumage traits in barn swallows.
  • To determine the impact of these genetic loci on reproductive isolation and speciation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the genetic architecture of plumage traits, identifying 12 loci on autosomes and the Z chromosome.
  • Examination of signatures of divergent selection and gene flow barriers in isolated populations and secondary contact zones.
  • Assessment of linkage disequilibrium patterns in hybrid zones to infer the role of selection.

Main Results:

  • Sexual trait loci show evidence of divergent selection during geographic isolation and create barriers to gene flow upon secondary contact.
  • Linkage disequilibrium among these loci is maintained by selection in hybrid zones, exceeding expectations from admixture alone.
  • A strong genetic basis for sexually selected traits contributes to reproductive isolation.

Conclusions:

  • Selection acting on coupled sexual trait loci is a key mechanism promoting reproductive isolation.
  • This study provides empirical evidence for the role of sexual selection in driving speciation.
  • The genetic architecture of sexual traits can directly contribute to the formation of new species.