Final answer:
Sexual selection may lead to traits that are detrimental to an individual's survival but increase reproductive success, such as the large tail of a peacock, which supports the handicap principle.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scenario described where a behavior is in the best interest of males, but is detrimental to female fitness, parallels the concept of sexual selection. Sexual selection can result in sexual dimorphism, where the sexes of a species exhibit different characteristics beyond the differences in their sexual organs, often because of male-male competition and female choice.
One example of sexual dimorphism influenced by sexual selection is the peacock's tail, which despite making the peacock more visible to predators and slower to escape, is preferred by females because it may signal the male's fitness, supporting the handicap principle.
Polygynous mating systems, where few males mate with many females, often are a result of these selection pressures; males compete to display the most impressive traits or to control the most resources to attract females. Similarly, polyandrous mating systems, where few females mate with many males, can occur, affecting the male energy budget and leading to varying reproductive strategies.