Question

In sex-role reversed species, such as seahorses, what would we expect?

1) males to be showy, and females to be choosy
2) males to be choosy, and females to be showy
3) both males and females to be showy
4) male-male fighting over females

Answer 1

In sex-role reversed species such as seahorses, we would expect males to be choosy and females to be showy. Option number 2 is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

In sex-role reversed species, such as seahorses, the usual roles you might expect in sexual selection are flipped. Typically, males compete for the attention of females with conspicuous displays and ornaments due to a high variance in male reproductive success. In contrast, females are choosier as they have less variance in reproductive success. However, in species where sex roles are reversed, females exhibit greater variance in reproductive success.

Therefore, we would expect females to be more competitive and exhibit traits like larger bodies and more elaborate traits typically associated with males. Consequently, in sex-role reversed species like seahorses, we would expect to see option 2: males to be choosy, and females to be showy, as it is the females who vie for the males’ attention.