Sexual Selection

by Malte Andersson

Overview

Bright colors, enlarged fins, feather plumes, song, horns, antlers, and tusks are often highly sex dimorphic. Why have males in many animals evolved more conspicuous ornaments, signals, and weapons than females? How can such traits evolve although they may reduce male survival? Such questions prompted Darwin's perhaps most scientifically controversial idea—the theory of sexual selection. It still challenges researchers today as they try to understand how competition for mates can favor the variety of sex-dimorphic traits. Reviewing theoretical and empirical work in this very active field, Malte Andersson, a leading contributor himself, provides a major up-to-date synthesis of sexual selection.


The author describes the theory and its recent development; examines models, methods, and empirical tests; and identifies many unsolved problems. Among the topics discussed are the selection and evolution of mating preferences; relations between sexual selection and speciation; constraints on sexual selection; and sex differences in signals, body size, and weapons. The rapidly growing study of sexual selection in plants is also reviewed. This volume will interest students, teachers, and researchers in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691000572
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	06/16/1994
Series:	Monographs in Behavior and Ecology , #72
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	624
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Malte Andersson is Professor of Zoology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 The Theory of Sexual Selection 3

2 Genetic Models of Fisherian Self-Reinforcing Sexual Selection 32

3 Genetic Models of Indicator Mechanisms 53

4 Empirical Methods 80

5 Some Case Studies 100

6 Empirical Studies of Sexually Selected Traits: Patterns 124

7 Sexual Selection in Relation to Mating System and Parental Roles 143

8 Benefits of Mate Choice 184

9 Species Recognition, Sexual Selection, and Speciation 207

10 Constraints 227

11 Sexual Size Dimorphism 247

12 Weapons 295

13 Coloration and Other Visual Signals 315

14 Acoustic Signals 349

15 Chemical Signals 369

16 Alternative Mating Tactics 379

17 Sexual Selection in Plants 396

18 Sexual Selection: Conclusions and Open Questions 433

References 445

Author Index 561

Subject Index 581

Taxonomic Index 588

Editorial Reviews

"Sexual Selection provides a masterly account of both the complex mathematical theory and the relevant data.... [It] deserves to be widely read as a definitive summary of what we know about sexual selection and as a guide to what remains to be done."

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1995

From the Publisher

"Sexual Selection provides a masterly account of both the complex mathematical theory and the relevant data.... [It] deserves to be widely read as a definitive summary of what we know about sexual selection and as a guide to what remains to be done."

Trends in Ecology & Evolution