Why female guppies prefer rare males and how this might shape evolution
When it comes to choosing a partner, some species prefer males that stand out from the crowd. Evolutionary biologists call the resulting process negative frequency-dependent selection. It means that a male has a huge mating advantage when his appearance is rare but loses that advantage if his look b...
Image: Phys.org
When it comes to choosing a partner, some species prefer males that stand out from the crowd. Evolutionary biologists call the resulting process negative frequency-dependent selection. It means that a male has a huge mating advantage when his appearance is rare but loses that advantage if his look becomes too common. This constant balancing act may be one important reason for the variety in nature.
Originally published at Phys.org
