7. How sex makes species survive

Abstract

How new species come about is one of the most fundamental questions in biology. And because that process involves reproduction, and because reproduction often (though not always) means sexual selection, it should come as no surprise that sexual selection has often been thought to play a role in speciation—the way that new species arise and are maintained. ‘How sex makes species survive’ explains that sexual selection, and the dizzying array of ornaments and weapons it produces, is now recognized to be far more than simply a means for females to recognize a male of the appropriate species. It can also be the engine that drives new species to come about.