Evolution Vs Sexual Selection

Sexual selection was an idea proposed by Darwin and refers to the process in which males and females attempt to maximize their chances of reproductive success. Within a species there are certain characteristics that make individuals attractive to potential mates. An example of this is in peacocks, female peacocks are attracted to males with long brightly colored tails, even though this makes them easier to be spotted by predators. This characteristic then evolves within the species due to how males with this characteristic have a higher chance of reproductive success and their characteristics being passed on to surviving offspring.

Outline the Processes Involved in Evolution and Discuss how Evolutionary Psychologists have Contributed to our Understanding of

Evolutionary psychologists therefore look for a theoretical combination of all the different scientific disciplines examining human’s behaviours and beliefs under this biological "view of a single, universal panhuman design" (1992). Therefore, evolutionary psychology can be described as a new theory based hypothesis that combines the current principals of psychology with the main principals of evolutionary biology (Buss, 1996). This study will critique evolutionary theory under the subsequent headings.

- Theorist John Tooby and Leda Cosmides contributions to the biological concepts of learning and development argue– in Evolutionary Psychology: A Primer “that the goal of research in evolutionary psychology is to discover and understand the design of the human mind. Evolutionary psychology is an approach to psychology, in which knowledge and principles from evolutionary biology are put to use in research on the structure of the human mind. It is not an area of study, like vision, reasoning, or social behavior.

When Darwin coined the term “natural selection” he described another subset of it referred to as “Sexual selection”. Sexual selection can be defined as a special case of natural selection where rather than focusing on traits that serve to aid survival, organisms develop traits and behaviors in efforts to increase mating. Many times, these two efforts come in conflict with each other and tradeoffs arise. A male can be outcompeting another male through overall health and fitness, but be losing when it comes to gaining the females attention. Common examples of this tradeoff include peacocks maintaining elaborate tails but at the same time, making themselves more visible to predators, or fruit flies competing through dances to win the attention

Evolution is a change in the genetic makeup of a population over time, with natural selection its major driving mechanism. Darwin’s theory, which is supported by evidence from many scientific disciplines, states that inheritable variations occur in individuals in a population. Due to competition for limited resources, individuals with more favorable variations or phenotypes are more likely to survive and produce more offspring, thus passing traits to future generations. In addition to the process of natural selection, naturally occurring catastrophic and human induced events as well as random environmental changes can result in alteration in the gene pools of populations. Small populations are especially sensitive to these forces. A diverse

The aforementioned influences eventually lead to the field of evolutionary psychology in which the common view is that both physical and mental organs developed through natural selection. Biases in how our brains perceive, process, and react to the world around us can either contribute to our survival or to the reason we 'die out '. Such biases affect our social behavior and status, sexual selection, and gender relations (Wright, 2010). Presently, evolutionary psychology has become an interest in popular culture which in turn influences the subject matter studied in this field. It provides plausible reasons for an array of human behaviors which sparks interest. People want to know why men have aggressive tendencies or why some will risk their lives to help those with no benefit to themselves. 'Survival of the fittest ' has become a commonly used phrase and Charles Darwin is no secret.

However the selection can favor traits to help organisms. The possibility of finding a mate with traits. A sexual selection can become male adaptive. Mating with a female such as individuals by choice of ensuring the decendent will have set optimal genotype for survival.

The matter of Natural Selection was brought forth by Charles Darwin and with that evolved the concept of Sexual Selection. The first thing that may come to mind is male preference in females for reproductive purposes. It is quite common when thinking about the process of Natural Selection. We don’t typically take notice of Darwin’s recognition or acceptance for “female choice” upon mate selection and the role it plays in our evolution. Both males and females differentiate when it comes to parental investment. Therefore selection of the opposite sex in order to benefit their kin is a valuable choice. We know that amongst men typically their preferences are based on physical attractiveness; so then what drives females. In attempts to better understand what and how females make their decisions in benefit for themselves and their offspring and how they have possibly evolved. We will look at a variety of ideas that have been formed in the research attempted to get a better understanding of this topic.

Sexual Selection is a powerful evolutionary process, for those unable to attract or gain access to the opposite sex, risk being eliminated from the population (Apostolou). The theory of sexual selection was introduced by Charles Darwin in his book The Descent of Man, in which he explains, that selecting a mate is not a random process, and it is key to evolution, for it depends on which individuals have advantage over the rest of the same specie (Stanford 99). In sexual selection, males compete between one another to gain access to a mate, and females choose particular promising mates that demonstrate trait variability, so that their future offspring will have a higher chance of survival (Stanford 99). Male individuals have to demonstrate power, who can conquer the most, ability to survive and provide protection, among other characteristics that will make him the right mate for a female. And Females, must consider their options, since they want high quality genes for their future children (Angeloni 77). Therefore, as a female, I am seeking for specific characteristics in a mate, such as a lean body build, healthy white teeth, and height—he must be over 5’6. I seek for those traits in a mate to further add trait variability in my future offspring, which will help adapt, live longer, and reproduce in the future.

Sexual selection means many different things to many different individuals. Some may say that it can be defined by sex differences and others say that it is primarily the difference in male individuals. According to Charles Darwin, sexual selection can simply be defined as competition for mates. Competition for mates, mate choice, and courtship behavior are all closely related and provide evidence for sexual selection. They are all very common in sexual selection. They help with the process of evolution.

Natural selection is when an organism is better suited to their environment then they tend to survive and reproduce, this will eventually lead to the evolution of a species over a great deal of time (Patterson, Natural Selection vs. Evolution). Furthermore, evolution is the change in a species’ characteristics over a long period of time (Your Genome, What is Evolution?). The purpose of the lab is to answer the research question of which beak type has the best features for collecting “food” and helping an individual bird survive in a changing environment? The dependent variable is the amount of food each bird collected with its beak and the independent variables are the different beaks used in the experiment (a toothpick, spoon, fork, or

Sexual selection can best be described by the definition given by Darwin himself. Sexual selection is “the advantage which certain individuals have over other individuals of the same species solely in respect of reproduction” (Hosken et al, 2011). Sexual selection occurs throughout the animal kingdom, where male frogs dominate through the depth of their croak, and certain peacocks reign superior based on the colour and intricate detail on their tails. They remain superior to their lesser counterparts as they bear more admirable characteristics, from which they are chosen by females of the same species.

Specific forces drive evolution and alter populations over the course of many generations. Different characteristics are inherited when a modification occurs in a species. Present genes within a population controls the characteristics, which determine the allele frequencies. Evolution occurs in a population of interbreeding that involves multiple members. To drive evolution, there are five forces: Natural selection, Migration, Mutation, Nonrandom mating, and Genetic drift.

As a result of sexual selection, many male animals have evolved extraordinary structures, usually used as ornaments for attracting females, or weapons, for fighting mating rivals (Douhard et al., 2017; O’Biren et al., 2017; McCullough et al., 2016; McCullough and Emlen, 2013; Emlen, 2008). The diversity of these structures is usually extremely high (both intra- and interspecifically) and have existed in many animal groups, including extinct trilobites and dinosaurs, to beetles, birds and hoofed mammals (ungulates) found today (O’Biren et al., 2017; McCullough et al., 2016; Emlen, 2008; Emlen et al., 2005; Emlen, 2001). Although both ornaments and weapons will increase mating opportunities for males, the mechanisms shaping the evolution of