Sexual Selection

Charles Darwin described sexual selection as the mode of selection that favors traits that enhance an individual’s reproductive success. Sexual selection has shaped behavior, morphology, physiology, and cognitive ability in many species. We will first read portions of Darwin’s The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex followed by journal articles representative of the major questions in the field. Topics will include: mate choice, intrasexual competition, alternative mating strategies, and the role of sexual selection in the evolution of the brain. Students will lead class discussions and write a final paper on sexual selection. This course can be taken for Neuroscience and Biology major credit. (BIOL 0140 and 0145)