Question

Pea females prefer peacocks with more eyespots on their tail feathers. The results depicted in the graph above provide support for:

(a) sensory bias hypothesis
(b) arbitrary choice hypothesis
(c) good genes hypothesis
(d) good parent hypothesis

Answer 1

Option (c), The preference for peacocks with more eyespots by pea females is an example of sexual selection, and specifically supports the good genes hypothesis as these eyespots are believed to be an honest signal of the male's genetic quality according to the handicap principle.

Step-by-step explanation:

The selection pressures on males and females to obtain matings is known as sexual selection. In this context, the preference of pea females for peacocks with more eyespots on their tail feathers could be an example of the good genes hypothesis, where the visual cue of the eyespots indicates that the male is genetically superior.

The handicap principle suggests that a peacock's large and ornate tail, while making them more visible to predators and less able to escape, represents an honest signal of the male's fitness. Only the most fit males would be able to survive this disadvantage, thus this trait becomes attractive to the females.