John A. Byers
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
University of Idaho

What Does She Really Want? New Directions in the Study of Female Mate Choice
Darwin’s efforts to explain the existence of male ornaments, such as the peacock train, produced a revolutionary theory in biology – the proposal that the actions of females in nature could decide the outcome of mating competition between males. Evolutionary biologists after Darwin settled upon the evolution of ornaments by female choice as a primary theoretical goal. The study of sexual selection became dominated by ornaments-based thinking, which caused biologists to overlook other, more informative traits that females might use to choose a mate. One of the overlooked traits is male motor performance. Many male mating displays emphasize motor performance, which is, unlike an ornament, a reliable indicator of male genetic quality.

This lecture is made possible by a generous Endowment by Professor Allen L. Edwards