Natural and sexual selection are not random processes. If there is no difference between the individuals within the species there would be no selection. Sexual selection is related to mating, it acts on individual’s ability to obtain or successfully copulate with a partner. The idea of sexual selection was introduced by Charles Darwin in 1871; he revealed that there are organisms with traits which are not explained by the concept natural selection, for example the tail of a male peacock. His found two main ways in which sexual selection works, these are intra-sexual competition and inter-sexual selection. Intra sexual competition happens within species, usually between males. They compete against each other to be chosen as a mate by a member of opposite sex. Inter-sexual selection is choosing a mate among the members of opposite sex, usually done by females. Some individuals have developed different traits to help them in the process of intra-sexual competition. The organisms with more distinctive traits have greater reproductive success. More genes of those traits are then ‘selected’ and are passed onto the offspring of the organisms. Throughout time variability in these traits becomes …show more content…
This leads to sexual dimorphism and the evolution of physical sex differences. If the male organisms have to compete by combat they evolve to become as physically superior as possible, so the males develop in size and that can lead to males being a lot larger than the females. For example the male elephant seals have to fight for the females and therefore the female elephant seal is much smaller than the male. The individuals also compete using displays, the male individual would be ornamented and the female would be dull looking. For example, a peacock’s tail or the ritual of attracting mates of the male paradise
Evolution is the process by which organisms develop unique derived traits. Evolved traits that decrease an organism’s survival rate are selected against in a population. Traits that increase an organism’s survival rate, on the other hand, are often selected for, meaning that those traits will appear more frequently in the genetic codes of members in a population. This process of selection can take several forms, one of them called sexual selection. Sexual selection occurs when one member of a particular species selects a mate with more favorable traits than other members of their species. An example of sexual selection would be the evolution of “hairlessness” in modern humans. Modern humans do not have a single coat of undiversified hair, unlike
"Persistent female choice for a particular male trait values should erode genitive variance in male traits and thereby remove the benefits of choice, yet choice persists” (Miller, Christine and Allen Moore). This phenomenon is know as the Lek Paradox and has puzzled scientists for many years. Throughout all species there has been abundant evidence showing continuous female choice of male traits, yet there is still no definite answer as to what allows for genetic variance to be maintained, and why a specific trait never becomes fixed. Many hypotheses have been theorized and researched, all providing some explanation as to how this variance in species is maintained, from traits signaling resistance to parasites, according to Hamilton and Zuk, to the hypothesis of mutational and environmental affects. Condition-dependence can also provide information as to how the lek paradox is able to exist; this hypothesis will be looked at in this paper.
Females like to choose mates who have very bright colors as it is a sign of the male’s good health and vigor. The natural and sexual selection can affect populations in three ways: directional (environmental conditions change in a consistent direction; one extreme of phenotypes is favored), stabilizing (environmental conditions are relatively constant; intermediate phenotype is favored), and disruptive selection (environment has more than one type of useful resource; both extremes of phenotypes are favored). An example of directional selection is pesticide resistance since only the insects with a resistance are favored; an example of stabilizing selection is that the smallest lizards have a difficulty defending their territory whereas the largest lizards are most likely to be eaten by owls; an example of disruptive selection are the black-bellied seedcrackers since they either have a large beak (which they can use to eat had seeds), or a small beak (which allows them to eat soft seeds). Disruptive selection shows a balanced polymorphism, which is when two or more phenotypes are maintained in a
In order to understand the present lifestyles relating to different approaches and tactics applied by humans in mate choice preferences, there is the need to refer to Darwin (1859, 1871) evolutionary perspectives. Darwin (1871) sexual selection is the driving force for males and females reproductive quest for their genes survival. These driving forces have been classified into two categories as intra-sexual and intersexual mate selection.Intersexual selection is male sexual selection process whereby males compete with other males and the females choose the strongest as their ideal partner. Intra-sexual selection occurs when the male species fight among themselves and the strongest gain access to females for
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the general laws by which any given species transforms into other varieties and species. Darwin extends the application of his theory to the entire hierarchy of classification and states that all forms of life have descended from one incredibly remote ancestor. The process of natural selection entails the divergence of character of specific varieties and the subsequent classification of once-related living forms as distinct entities on one or many levels of classification. The process occurs as a species varies slightly over the course of numerous generations. Through inheritance, natural selection preserves each variation that proves advantageous to that species in its present circumstances of living, which include its interaction with closely related species in the “struggle for existence” (Darwin 62).
Natural selection is simple yet complex process that allows species adapt to its environment. Natural selection guides evolution by “sifting out” favorable traits that increase survival for the species. Natural selection is driven by reproductive success. If a species can reproduce and its offspring survive than any traits in its genotype that assisted in its survival will be passed on from generation to generation and ensure that the species will live on. Around the time the Theory of Evolution was suggested, society was very religious and very pressed on the Theory of Creation, so the publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection caused a lot of controversy. Darwin gave the world strong evidence that natural selection and evolution played a major role in the development of the species that we see today. Of course natural selection is not the only process driving evolution. In order for natural selection to happen, the species has to have genetic variation. Genetic variation happens because of mutations and recombination of genes. Other processes that contribute are gene flow and genetic
When making observations about an organism, the phenotype is easier to observe because it is the physical expression of the genotype. Within the genotype, there are alleles and these alleles code for different traits which are either dominant or recessive, mutant or wild-type. Natural selection acts against alleles, organisms, and populations forcing them to adapt to survive. The stronger the natural selection, the weaker the impediment from gene flow. Geographic variations also have an impact on an organism's natural selection through migration— emigration vs immigration. In this paper, Hoekstra et al (2004) studied the effects of natural selection on the organism Chaetodipus Intermedius (pocket mice).
Charles Darwin has five parts to his theory of natural selection, firstly the “Geometric increase” which claims that “all living things reproduce in great numbers”, meaning that species may survive but not all will survive because, the resources used for survival for instance ,food will not be enough for all living things. “The struggle for existence” because there is a limited number of resources and can only sustain some and not all, not all living things will survive, however the question lies in which living being will survive?. “Variation” is the third part of natural selection which claims that within those living things there are variations within them that will determine whic...
With the studies that Charles Darwin obtained he published his first work, “The Origin of Species.” In this book he explained how for millions of years animals, and plants have evolved to better help their existence. Darwin reasoned that these living things had gradually changed over time to help themselves. The changes that he found seemed to have been during the process of reproduction. The traits which would help them survive became a dominant trait, while the weaker traits became recessive. A good example of what Darwin was trying to explain is shown in giraffes. Long-necked giraffes could reach the food on the trees, while the short-necked giraffes couldn’t. Since long necks helped the giraffes eat, short-necked giraffes died off from hunger. Because of this long-necks became a dominant trait in giraffes. This is what Charles Darwin would later call natural selection.
According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.
a special type of natural selection in which the sexes acquire distinct forms either because the members of one sex choose mates with particular features or because in the competition for mates among the members of one sex only those with certain traits succeed.1
Natural Selection and Selective Breeding are the only two ways an animal species can exist. Natural selection is the process nature uses to strain out the animals who are flawed in some way to survive and the animals better equipped for survival of the species in the wild. Selective breeding is a process used by humans to make an animal to a certain job, so they would breed for a hunting animal, a butcher animal, or simply a companion. These are the ways animal can originate, evolve and survive.
These methods of sexual selection include both before and after mating, and has competition between two males, two females, or competition between both genders of wasps. One of the most obvious forms of sexual selection in social wasps is between females. This is simply that queens of a high rank have higher mating success (Baer 2014). This method of sexual selection follows the natural hierarchy of social wasps, where one wasp is “in charge” (the queen), while others simply do the work for the colony (the workers). The other forms of sexual selection include the male to male competition of territory establishment, where males fight for territories and mark those territories to attract queens, and competition of male ornaments, which is a competition between males to see which one has the best ornaments and a competition between females for them to pick the male with the best ornaments. The males with bigger, darker dorsal spots generally have a better chance of mating (Baer 2014). This causes sexual selection competition between males, who try to have the darkest dorsal spots, and between females, who try to pick males with the darkest dorsal
Many scientists in the past, such as Aristotle and Plato, believed that there were no changes in populations; however, other scientists, such as Darwin and Wallace, arose and argued that species inherit heritable traits from common ancestors and environmental forces drives out certain heritable traits that makes the species better suited to survive or be more “fit” for that environment. Therefore, species do change over a period of time and they were able to support their theory by showing that evolution does occur. There were four basic mechanisms of evolution in their theory: mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection. Natural selection is the gradual process by which heritable traits that makes it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce increases, whereas there is a decline in those who do have those beneficial heritable traits (Natural Selection). For example, there is a decrease in rain which causes a drought in the finches’ environment. The seeds in the finches’ environment would not be soft enough for the smaller and weaker beak finches to break; therefore, they cannot compete with the larger and stronger beak finches for food. The larger and stronger beak finches has a heritable trait that helps them survive and reproduce better than others for that particular environment which makes them categorized under natural selection (Freeman, 2002).
Natural selection is based on the concept “survival of the fittest” where the most favourable individual best suited in the environment survive and pass on their genes for the next generation. Those individual who are less suited to the environment will die.