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Essay / Sexual Selection as Another Form of Natural Selection definition. Sexual selection can be considered an independent type of selection; distinct from natural selection. However, others view sexual selection as another form of selection within natural selection. These views come from the discoverers of natural selection: Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace. Although they both agreed on the ideals of natural selection, Darwin and Wallace both debated the definition of sexual selection. This was a continuing dispute until Darwin's death; giving Wallace the edge in the sexual selection argument. Wallace had succeeded in defining sexual selection; silence Darwin's view of sexual selection. Darwin's view remained silent while Wallace's view was widely accepted over Darwin's. However, Richard Prum, author of The Evolution of Beauty, argues in favor of Darwin's ideas over Wallace's. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Sexual selection is a type of selection in which species choose who they mate with. According to Darwin's view, there are two forces: intersexual; the struggle between male-to-male competition and intrasexual competition; females being the main mate selectors. He also believed that standards of (ornamental) beauty and military characteristics co-evolved together. It states that a being must be attractive enough to find mates with which to reproduce, while also being able to survive to reproduce. Being a creationist, Wallace disagreed with Darwin. Wallace believed that sexual selection was an explanation for it being another form of natural selection. He claimed that female mate choice was directly related to a male's ability to survive and not his character traits. Sexual selection among humans and nonhuman primates Sexual selection between humans and nonhuman primates differs due to the complexity of human evolution. One significant difference is the frequency of the mating system between the two populations. In a modern human society; monogamous relationships are the most common type of partner choice (Kinzey 1987). This allows parents to invest more in offspring, as most species follow the monogamous mating system; tend to have longer gestation periods and fewer offspring per birth. On the other hand, monogamy is rare among non-human primates, while choosing a polygamous partner is more common. Nonhuman primates following the polygamous mating system tend to have more offspring overall, but have less paternal involvement than primates following the monogamous mating system. Both mating systems have their own problems: individuals fighting for a single partner in monogamy, and individuals fighting among themselves within a group for access to the single partner in polygamy. However, both mating systems can persuade male primates to commit infanticide. Contemporary; Infanticide is considered immoral and criminal in most human societies. Since there is no criminal structure innon-human primates, their habits can vary. This allows them to participate in infanticide as they wish. Another problem common to both mating systems is sexual coercion. Although sexual coercion is not a matter of sexual selection, it plays an important role in mate choice. Those who practice sexual coercion may be considered unattractive. Sexual coercion is favorable to humans because there are penalties for rape. As for non-human primates, the absence of a penal system allows males to sexually coerce females without being punished. It is common for males to participate in sexual coercion to ensure that females produce offspring. Male chimpanzees commonly rape female chimpanzees to ensure the production of their offspring. However, sexual coercion between humans is considered immoral and can lead to severe penalties depending on the criminal's country of residence. A formal legal structure and morality favor individual mate choice for humans; where non-human primates must defend themselves. Technology in humans is superior to that of non-human primates, to the point where contraceptives prevent human pregnancies. This allows humans to have sex for pleasure and eliminates the fear of unwanted pregnancies. Unlike humans, there are non-human primates that are incapable of creating contraceptives, but humans have instead created contraceptives for them. Therefore, most non-human primates do not have access to contraceptives and can have sexual intercourse; with a high possibility of impregnation. Having sex for pleasure is a trend among living species, including humans. These trends can help us better understand human evolution; we can correlate similar behaviors between humans and other species. A significant trend is the abandonment of intersexual selection; to intrasexual selection.Trends in human evolutionSexual selection among birds can help determine trends in human evolution. For example, ducks desire to have sex with autonomous female ducks. In a sexual relationship between humans, there is no relationship if an individual, mainly women, does not have autonomy; it is the right to make independent choices. This tendency is that both partners in a sexual relationship are ready to be with each other; instead of an individual being forced to be together. Another example given by Prum would be the Grand Argus; females are attracted to males based on their appearance and ornamental features. This trend that those who look better will have access to more partners may be true for humans. However, appearances are not the only factors that make an individual attractive. Humans can be: socially attractive, intellectually attractive, emotionally attractive, physically attractive or even financially attractive. Sexual selection among humans becomes more complex as we move away from non-human primates. We can expect humans to focus on beauty standards rather than general survival. Transition from intersexual to intrasexual The advantages of sexual selection are: access to resources, shelter to protect oneself and increased parental protection. For most hominids, males are the sole providers of resources, while females care for their offspring. If it is the females who carry their offspring during gestation periods and devote more time to their.
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