Question

On a field assignment with her students, Professor Miller observes two male elephant seals engaged in a fierce battle. She explains to her students that they are fighting for mating control of the female harem, a process termed ____.

Answer 1

She explains to her students that they are fighting for mating control of the female harem, a process termed intrasexual selection.

Step-by-step explanation:

While intersexual selection refers to animals of the opposite sex choosing their mates, intrasexual selection refers to same-sex animals competing among themselves to have rights over members of the opposite sex. That is the case with the two male elephant seals. They are competing to gain control of the female harem. From an evolutionary point of view, they are basically fighting to decide which one will pass on the best genes to the next generation. The winner is, obviously, the strongest and fittest of the two, which technically means he has the best genes.