Sexual Selection Studies: A NESCent Catalyst Meeting

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Penn collection
Departmental Papers (Biology)
Degree type
Discipline
Subject
Animal Sciences
Behavior and Ethology
Biology
Evolution
Population Biology
Funder
Grant number
License
Copyright date
Distributor
Related resources
Author
Roughgarden, Joan
Adkins-Regan, Elizabeth
Crawford, Jeremy Chase
Gadagkar, Raghavendra
Griffith, Simon C
Hinde, Camilla A
Hoquet, Thierry
O'Connor, Cailin
Prokop, Zofia M
Contributor
Abstract

A catalyst meeting on sexual selection studies was held in July 2013 at the facilities of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, NC. This article by a subcommittee of the participants foregrounds some of the topics discussed at the meeting. Topics mentioned here include the relevance of heritability estimates to assessing the presence of sexual selection, whether sexual selection is distinct from natural selection, and the utility of distinguishing sexual selection from fecundity selection. A possible definition of sexual selection is offered based on a distinction between sexual selection as a frequency-dependent process and fecundity selection as a density-dependent process. Another topic highlighted is a deep disagreement among participants in the reality of good-genes, sexy-sons, and run-away processes. Finally, the status of conflict in political-economic theory is contrasted with the status accorded to conflict in evolutionary behavioral theory, and the professional responsibility of sexual-selection workers to consider the ethical dimension of their research is underscored.

Advisor
Date of presentation
2015-01-01
Conference name
Departmental Papers (Biology)
Conference dates
2023-05-17T12:30:16.000
Conference location
Date Range for Data Collection (Start Date)
Date Range for Data Collection (End Date)
Digital Object Identifier
Series name and number
Volume number
Issue number
Publisher
Publisher DOI
Journal Issue
Comments
This paper is a result of a conference held at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) facilities in Durham, NC, in July 2013.
Recommended citation
Collection