Sexual Selection
Science · Animals of the World · conceptual
Explain sexual selection as a form of natural selection: runaway selection for peacock tails, bird of paradise displays, and frog calls; explain kin selection and altruistic behaviour — why worker bees die to protect the hive, why meerkats stand guard at personal risk (Hamilton's rule, inclusive fitness); introduce game theory in animal behaviour using the hawk-dove model; define cognitive ethology and survey evidence for animal emotions, play, and culture
Check your understanding
Can Sexual Selection explain why a worker bee dying to protect the hive actually makes evolutionary sense — even though the bee never has its own offspring? What's the logic that makes this a successful strategy?
Prerequisites
Required first