Sexual Selection: A Very Short Introduction

Abstract

Sexual Selection: A Very Short Introduction introduces the astounding array of behaviours and decorative traits in the animal world used for competing for mates, and considers the evolutionary logic that underpins them. It also looks at the history of our understanding of sexual selection, from Darwin’s key insights to the modern day. Considering the investment animals place on reproduction, variation in mating systems, sexual conflict, and the origin of sexual dimorphism, it discusses questions such as whether females can really choose between males on aesthetic grounds, and how sexual conflict is resolved in different species. It concludes with a consideration of the thorny question of how, and even if, sexual selection theory applies to humans.