Sexual selection from first principles
Main funder
Funder's project number: 346348
Funds granted by main funder (€)
- 300 000,00
Funding program
Project timetable
Project start date: 01/09/2021
Project end date: 30/11/2025
Summary
The female and male sexes are biologically defined by their gamete size: the producer of the larger gamete (e.g. egg) is by definition female, and vice versa. One of the oldest and most debated questions in biology concerns the consequences of this definitional gamete size difference. Can sex-specific trait evolution be traced all the way back to such 'first principles'? Although there are many models of sexual selection and gamete evolution, very few models connect the two showing how gamete size could influence sex-specific evolution of traits such as competition for mates, mate choice, or parental investment. This project will address such concerns from a theoretical perspective by constructing models of sexual selection, sex-specific selection, and sexual dimorphism that make no sex-biased assumptions, except for gamete size. The results will help us understand if and how the defining difference of the two sexes drives sex-specific selection and the evolution of sexual dimorphism.
