evolutionary arms race between the sexes sexual conflict

Selective pressure between two species can include host-parasite coevolution. An asymmetrical arms race involves contrasting selection pressures, such as the case of cheetahs and gazelles, where cheetahs evolve to be better at hunting and killing while gazelles evolve not to hunt and kill, but rather to evade capture. An example of this is trees growing taller as a result of competition for light, where the selective advantage for either species is increased height. In a symmetrical arms race, selection pressure acts on participants in the same direction. Symmetrical versus asymmetrical arms races Īrms races may be classified as either symmetrical or asymmetrical. Thierry Lodé emphasized the role of such antagonistic interactions in evolution leading to character displacements and antagonistic coevolution. One example of an evolutionary arms race is in sexual conflict between the sexes, often described with the term Fisherian runaway. Alternatively, the arms race may be between members of the same species, as in the manipulation/sales resistance model of communication (Dawkins & Krebs, 1979) or as in runaway evolution or Red Queen effects. The co-evolving gene sets may be in different species, as in an evolutionary arms race between a predator species and its prey (Vermeij, 1987), or a parasite and its host. These are often described as examples of positive feedback. In evolutionary biology, an evolutionary arms race is an ongoing struggle between competing sets of co-evolving genes, phenotypic and behavioral traits that develop escalating adaptations and counter-adaptations against each other, resembling an arms race.

Competition of sets of genes, traits, or species, that develop adaptations against each other

Evolutionary arms race between the sexes sexual conflict