BIOL359 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Sexual Selection, Parental Investment, Pipefish
26 Apr 2013
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Males & females often differ strikingly in size, appearance, and behavior conspicuously different . Sexual dimorphism: a difference between the sexes of a species. Male widow birds: extremely long tail feathers. For sexually reproducing species: must survive long enough to reproduce; reproduction; finding a mate & persuade for cooperation. Sexual selection: differential reproductive success due to variation among individuals in success at getting mates. Asymmetries in sexual reproduction: sexual selection acts on different sexes differently, eggs in many animals are more expensive than ejaculates, parental investment: energy and time expended both in constructing an offspring and in caring for it. Females typically make a larger parental investment in each offspring than fathers: female: potential reproductive success is low, male: potential reproductive success is high. Sexual selection is a more potent force in the evolution of males. The number of mates had a larger impact on the reproductive success of males than.
