Sexual selection

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Sexual selection is a mechanism of evolution in which members of one sex choose mates of the other sex (intersexual selection) to mate with, and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex (intrasexual selection). These two forms of selection mean that some individuals have greater reproductive success than others within a population, for example because they are more attractive or prefer more attractive partners to produce offspring. Successful males benefit from frequent mating and monopolizing access to one or more fertile females. Females can maximise the return on the energy they invest in reproduction by selecting and mating with the best males. The concept was first articulated by Charles Darwin who wrote of a "second agency" other than natural selection, in which competition between mate candidates could lead to speciation. His ideas were opposed by Alfred Russel Wallace, but supported with observations by George and Elizabeth Peckham and by Edward...

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