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Charles Darwin: Theory of Sexual Selection

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Evolution of secondary sexual characters; Mate choice; Mating advantage; Reproductive success; Selection in relation to sex

Definition

Sexual selection is the form of selection that operates specifically on the reproductive success of individuals. Natural selection is associated with the struggle for survival (which includes reproduction), but sexual selection is entirely associated with an organism’s ability to find a mate, successfully copulate, and produce offspring.

Introduction

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is essential and is adequate to explain the diversity of life on this planet. The theory – based on genetic variation, adaptation, and inheritance – is all encompassing, and as the great evolutionary geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky remarked, “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Evolution is the string theory of biology. As a grand theory, its descriptors include genetic variation, selection, adaptation, speciation, and...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Rama Singh

  2. Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Santosh Jagadeeshan

Authors
  1. Rama Singh
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  2. Santosh Jagadeeshan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rama Singh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Penn State Worthington Scranton, Scranton, USA

    Douglas Sellers

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Singh, R., Jagadeeshan, S. (2018). Charles Darwin: Theory of Sexual Selection. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1396-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1396-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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