Abstract
The 'runaway process of sexual selection' explains the evolution of extreme sexual behaviours and adornments and requires that a preferred secondary sexual character expressed in one sex be genetically correlated with a preference for this character expressed in the other sex1–4. Because of this genetic correlation, individuals selecting the preferred character also select higher levels of preference, producing rapid, self-reinforcing evolution of both characters. Preference for increased development of the secondary sexual character is counterbalanced at equilibrium by natural selection acting against this character. Variation in predation against brightly coloured male guppies, Poecilia reticulata, presents a unique opportunity to test a prediction of this counterbalance between sexual and natural selection, namely that geographical variation in selection against the preferred character should lead to parallel variation in preference5. Here we present evidence that female guppies from high-predation populations show a genetically determined, lower preference for brightly coloured models of male guppies than do females from areas of low predation.
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Breden, F., Stoner, G. Male predation risk determines female preference in the Trinidad guppy. Nature 329, 831–833 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/329831a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/329831a0
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