Sexual Selection Definition

In an article by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Jean Guy J. Godin they discuss how women unknowingly select their mates based on what they believe to be their choices and personal preferences, but really their choices stem from their subconscious and biological pre-programing. One of the examples that are given in the article is how vibrant colors, although not evolutionarily smart in terms of camouflage, are effective when it comes to finding a mate. Like for instance guppies and peacocks, the males possess these vibrant, bright colors to attract females and innately that is what the females look for. The more colorful the male, the more likely the female will choose him to breed with because to them the brighter the males are the stronger their genes are and the more possible it is that their offspring will survive and continue passing on their genes (Dugatkin et Godin,

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.

In his article, The Strategies of Finding a Mate, David M. Buss discusses the act of finding a mate and the characteristics that people are drawn to in a mate. He begins the article with a brief look at the history of mating and the theories that have previously been proposed. In particular he addressed Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual evolution and belief in preferential mate choice. Buss proposes that there are three components to human mating. He states that “human mating is inherently strategic… mating strategies are context-dependent… [and that] men and women have faced different mating problems over the course of human evolution and, as a consequence, have evolved different strategies” (Buss, 1994, p. 241). He uses this theory to propose nine different hypotheses to prove that despite humans being varied and different from each other, all humans look for similar characteristics when trying to find a mate (Buss, 1994).

There are many theories that try to explain relationships between sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour. Evolutionary theory is one such theory.

This essay aims to show a comparison between the differences between both female short-term mating strategies and female long-term mating strategies. It will explore the evolution of psychology that has shown reasons for human mating and how these reasons go above and beyond the general idea of physical attractiveness and love. This essay will identify how mate preferences have evolved and further identify psychological mechanisms that women have used to select their mates over the past. This essay will compare and critically discuss the differences and outline them between female short-term mating strategies and female long-term mating

There is a better chance of the traits being passed on when sexual selection is at

Although sexual selection may seem like natural selection, they both happen to have different features that separate them from one another. Sexual selection involves dominance and competition between organisms. Furthermore, it deals with the attractiveness some traits hold when drawing attention to other mates. A common example is that of the peacock and its vibrant feathers. The peahens are attracted to flashy feathers that the peacock flaunts, and they will eventually choose the mate that displays itself as the most extravagant. Ultimately, they will procreate and the peacock will pass on the trait involving his feathers since he was chosen as a mate.

Albeit, the sexual selection theory is presumed force of natural selection causing individuals to develop reproductive strategies which maximize the like hood of their producing the fittest possible offspring. Otherwise, suggested a competition between males and competition for females as the two most likely mechanism of sexual selection theory.

Riann Anderson and Madison Lash based their presentation of an article titled, Female Guppies with Bigger Brains Pick more Attractive Guys. The article hypothesized that the females with the bigger brains would choose males with the larger fins, more color, and one with the elaborate dances. “In order for you( in reference to the female guppies) you have to have a level of large brain power”, said Lash. The idea of females choosing the more attractive male correlates to the scientific concept of sexual selection, the idea that mates choose particular traits because those will help them in the environment. A great deal of the females with bigger brains wanted the more attractive mates, because essentially the more aesthetically pleasing males

AH4: That male brightness is determined by a combination of predation, geographical isolation and/or sexual selection, predicting that two of the previous hypotheses are supported.

Males usually have body size in relation to the male-male competition as the male who is physically bigger and stronger wins this competition and has exclusive access to fertile females. This then results in a higher reproductive success for that male and signals that the male is highly fertile and has “good genes”. Male-male competition (intrasexual competition) has selected for males with higher physical strength, their shoulder to hip ratio (S.H.R) and their BMI to be more physically attractive to females as they are positive indicators of male reproductive success (Pavol 2013 & Jacob 2015). Women have shown to prefer men with higher W.H.R of 0.8-0.9 (F. Pazhoohi, 2012). The S.H.R is also a very important indictor of male attractiveness as testosterone affects the fat deposition and the skeletal morphology resulting in men with broad shoulder and chest creating a “V shape” (F. Pazhoohi, 2012). Higher BMI in mean is associated with less physical attractiveness and does not relay the masculinity that the higher W.H.R and S.H.R does. All of these indicators of physical attractiveness show that a certain male has “good genes” and that would increase the male as well as female’s reproductive success (Michael,

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.

Another evolutionary explanation of gender development is mate choice, which suggests that gender role behaviours are related to reproductive strategies. It is thought that men will look for women who are young whereas women are usually more interested in the resources of a mate. This can be explained from an evolutionary perspective as mating with a physically attractive woman

The first few chapters discuss in depth both the general rules for mate selection and the differences in mate selection and varying preferences for male and female genders. As explained in the intro the author theorizes that the current behavior of humans in relation to mating behavior can be linked to our evolutionary past. He references Charles Darwin 's theory of evolution and his idea of natural selection, which is the the process through which organisms adapt to their environment and in doing so tend to

If these traits that it possesses that made it different were useful than that creature may reproduce more than normal. Of course in Darwin’s day DNA had not been discovered but it was known that traits were passed to offspring. Natural selection is when the organisms with good traits survive the trials of nature. Artificial selection is what breeders do, the cow that gives more milk, or the plant that produces larger fruit are selected to be reproduced. Encyclopedia Encarta defines natural selection as “the process by which environmental effects lead to varying degrees of reproductive success among individuals of a population of organisms with different hereditary characters, or traits. The characters that inhibit reproductive success decrease in frequency from generation to generation. The resulting increase in the proportion of reproductively successful individuals usually enhances the adaptation of the population to its environment”