Question

Which of these situations offers the lowest "opportunity for selection" for males?

1) Locations that females need access to in order to reproduce are rare.
2) Every female chooses one male to mate with for life.
3) Males fight each other for access to groups of females.
4) Females choose mates with a fancy ornament.
5) All of the above. None of these situations results in a large opportunity for selection to act on males.
6) None of the above. All of these situations result in large opportunities for selection on males.

Answer 1

The option where each female chooses one male to mate with for life provides the lowest opportunity for selection on males since it encourages monogamy and reduces intrasexual competition and sexual selection pressures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The situation which offers the lowest opportunity for selection for males is when every female chooses one male to mate with for life. This scenario often leads to monogamous relationships and minimizes the likelihood for males to compete for access to multiple mates. Consequently, there will be less sexual selection pressure on males, meaning less opportunity for different male traits to be favored or discriminated against across generations.

From an evolutionary perspective, this scenario contrasts with ones where sexual selection is high, such as cases where males fight each other for access to females (intrasexual selection) or where females choose mates based on specific traits (intersexual selection), like a bowerbird's elaborately decorated nest. Polygynous and polyandrous mating systems typically provide higher opportunities for selection, as they involve competition over mates, with some individuals succeeding over others based on advantageous traits or behaviors. Monogamy, however, tends to limit this competitive aspect and hence the opportunity for selection is lowered.