Sexual Selection

     All organisms want to reproduce and pass on their genetic material to subsequent generations. With so many individuals wanting to find mates and reproduce, competition tends to arise. This competition driven by reproduction and wanting to find mates is sexual selection. Although natural selection and sexual selection both deal with fitness, sexual selection is a special type of natural selection. Evolution through natural selection states that entities that make more copies of their genetic material increase in frequency through time. Natural selection is concerned with surviving to be able to pass on genetic material and producing successful lineages that will go on to produce successful lineages. Sexual selection is concerned with finding a mate to reproduce. The selective pressure in natural selection often comes from the environment while the selective pressure in sexual selection solely comes from competition for mates.

    Sexual selection can come in many forms and typically, sexual selection acts on the males of a species. This is primarily because females are a limiting resource. In many species, males are able to produce hundreds to thousands of sperm per second while females only produce a few eggs throughout their lifetime. In most cases, females are also required to invest more energy into reproduction and their reproductive cycles take time. Because of this, males will often need to compete to find a female to reproduce with. If there is only one female and five male foxes, the five male foxes will have to compete to reproduce with the female. Sexual selection can come in many different forms and can include direct combat for mates, producing better secondary sex characteristics, and even performances for females. 

    While the definition of sexual selection and the mechanisms of sexual selection complement my previous understanding of sexual selection, I would like to explore how females choose mates especially when it comes to competition involving displays or performances and secondary sex traits.