Week 9: What does evolution have to do with relationships? Flashcards
What is Evolution?
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.
What is Selection Theories?
Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace proposed Selection theories.
Selection theories solve adaptation problems by specifying a process through which one thing comes to be adapted to another thing.
Two types of Selection Theories:
o Natural Selection
o Sexual Selection
What is Natural Selection?
Natural selection is a process where organisms adapt and change.
What is Sexual Selection
Sexual Selection is a theory stating that due to traits, organisms will gain successful mates.
Sexual Selection involves two theories:
o Intrasexual Selection
o Intersexual Selection
What are Selective Pressures?
Selective pressures are environmental factors, and they determine how individuals/species survive.
What is Intrasexual Selection?
Intrasexual selection is when members of the same sex within a species compete with each other, to gain opportunities to mate with others.
What is Sexual Dimorphism?
Sexual Dimorphism is the difference in appearance between males and females of same individuals/species.
What is Male Ornamentation?
Male Ornaments are observed in males and choosing an extravagantly ornamented male benefits females because the genes that produce the ornament will be passed on to her offspring.
What is Bateman’s Principle?
Bateman’s Principle discusses how the reproduction success is greater in males than females.
What is Intersexual Selection?
Intersexual selection is the preferences of one sex leading to the development of traits in the opposite sex.
Good taste theories
Fisher proposed the Runaway Selection theory.
Male characteristics such as the large tail of the peacock found attractive by females, allows the ability to produce “sexy sons”.
Good sense theories
The good sense theories consist of three models of good genes theory:
o Handicap Model
Females prefer male characteristics that reduce survival chance.
o Parasite Model
Females choose male features that demonstrate a lack of parasites
o Pathogen Resistance
The more symmetrical the organism, the healthier they are.
Resource theories
Females search for males with territories so they have a place for nesting their offspring.
