Sexual selection

Start with the mind maps

The Sexual selection mind map introduces sexual selection and contrasts forms of selection. For a map that labels mate choice and mate competition, open Human Reproductive Behaviour. It also brings in parental investment. Use the maps to identify the terms you want to remember, then compare how each resource organizes them.

The map The Nature of Sexual Selection offers another starting point for exploring the topic.

Build on the main ideas

Once you have looked at the introductory maps, explore Bateman's Principle. Its branches include an account of investment in offspring and a point that questions how that account applies. There are also flowcharts on anisogamy and on intersexual and intrasexual selection. Their titles can help you choose which idea to explore next.

For a wider view, the maps on sexual selection and human reproductive behavior include material on selecting a mate and on evolutionary theory. A note also discusses the relationship between sexual selection and human reproductive behavior.

Use flashcards alongside maps

The Sexual Selection flashcards include prompts on sensory bias, intrasexual selection and fitness. Study a map first, then use relevant card prompts to check what you can recall. Return to the map when you want to see how its ideas are arranged.

There are no quizzes listed on this page, so the flashcards offer a way to practice recall alongside the maps.

Place the topic in its unit

Sexual selection is a section of the Evolutionary Psychology unit in Psychology. The flashcards titled Evolutionary Psychology Lecture 2 Notes offer another resource to explore within that unit context.

Choose a map, then pair it with a flashcard deck for your next study session.