Week 13: deeper dive into sexual selection
2. Sexual Selection and its Relationship to Natural Selection
What is Sexual Selection?
Sexual selection is a subset of natural selection. Instead of all environmental factors etc. playing into survival of the "good enough" it is only the reproduction category of selection in this subset. This can include a number of selective factors such as mate competition.
Why Males are Typically More Affected: Reproductive Resources.
Females have fewer eggs ( female reproductive material) than males have sperm (male reproductive material) making female reproductive material harder to obtain, creating competition for the females. On top of females having less gametes, they also provide the parental role in most species, again making less females available to reproduce with. Therefore males have to work harder to reproduce, whether that is combat or showcasing different beauties, and much more.
Complements My Previous Understanding:
It is well known that males have a natural instinct to impress females for reproduction, it goes back to when I was a kid seeing a male vs female peacock and asking why the male is much more beautiful.
Further Exploration:
I would like to further explore sexual selection in humans, does a natural pressure drive this or culture?
Hi Layla- I like how each section has a subtitle that lets the reader know what it is about! I also like how you presented the information in a clear and concise manner. Great job!
ReplyDeleteA very organized and direct presentation of the main concept, well done.
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