On Sexual Selection

TL;DR

This paper explores the evolutionary role of sexual selection in eukaryotes, proposing it as a mechanism to balance coevolutionary dynamics between sexes, using NK models to analyze conditions favoring allosome emergence.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective on sexual selection as a compensatory mechanism for coevolution, extending fitness landscape models to explain the evolution of sex and allosomes.

Findings

Allosome emergence depends on fitness landscape parameters.

Sexual selection benefits vary with landscape ruggedness and connectedness.

Both sexes can exploit sexual selection for evolutionary advantage.

Abstract

Sexual selection is a fundamental aspect of evolution for all eukaryotic organisms with mating types. This paper suggests intersexual selection is best viewed as a mechanism to compensate for the unavoidable dynamics of coevolution between sexes that emerge with isogamy. Using the NK model of fitness landscapes, the conditions under which allosomes emerge are first explored. This extends previous work on the evolution of sex where the fitness landscape smoothing of a rudimentary form of the Baldwin effect is suggested as the underlying cause. The NKCS model of coevolution is then used to show how varying fitness landscape size, ruggedness, and connectedness can vary the conditions under which a very simple sexual selection mechanism proves beneficial. This is found to be the case whether one or both sexes exploit sexual selection.