Sexual Selection Student Worksheet

RELATIONSHIPS paper 3:
AO1 Sexual Selection and Human Reproductive Behaviour
Natural Selection
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection (1859)
suggests that the physical environment exerts se____________ pressure upon
ad___________e characteristics, which are traits (physical or behavioural) that
increase the individual’s s___________ potential because they enable them to
better adapt to their e_____________l niche. However, natural selection cannot
account for characteristics, which seem disadvantageous, for example, the
peacock’s tail and the stag’s large antlers, both of which would inhibit escape
from predators.
Sexual selection
Darwin’s theory of evolution by sexual selection suggests that such cumbersome
characteristics are due to selective pressure from the social environment. This
means they are selected because they increase reproductive p______________l.
Features that suggest reproductive fitness make the individual more attractive to
the opposite sex or more able to compete for mates and so increase the
individual’s chance of r____________. This is especially if the male survives,
despite the h____________ caused by the cumbersome characteristic i.e.
testosterone as it suggests good g_________ quality which can be passed on to
_______________ and over time becomes e_________________ (the runaway process).
There are two types of sexual selection; intersexual selection and intra-sexual
selection. The differences are….
Anisogamy refers to sex differences in the size of the sexual gametes, the e____
and the s_________. The egg is more c_________ for the female than the sperm is for
the male. Males produce sperm in thousands at relatively little ph____________l
cost. Therefore, their best strategy is to mate with m_______ females, because this
should result in the maximum number of off__________ to perpetuate their genetic
line. Females produce eggs, each of which contains a store of food for the growing
embryo. The eggs are larger, require more nu____________ and are less in
q_____________ (only one being produced per month) than the male sperm. These
differences in parental investment determine who will be the more discerning or
“c______y” sex when selecting a partner; In humans it is the female because they
invest more in offspring as a result of a___________y and other factors. The
consequences of mating with an unsuitable partner are potentially much greater for
women than for men. The female’s optimal strategy is to choose a mate who offers
the best genetic or material inv________________t in her limited number of e______.
The male, as the less investing sex, has lower costs and higher benefits of
indiscriminate m_________. The male’s optimal strategy is to im______________ as
many females as possible as this will maximise his reproductive fitness and can
incur few costs, given that the male’s contribution to offspring can begin and end
with the donation of sp__________! According to parental investment theory, males
achieve greater reproductive success through pro______________ and abandonment of
young, and females achieve greater reproductive success through selectivity and
n____________g of young.
Aim: To be able to answer this question: Evaluate research into the relationship between
sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour. (10 marks)
AO1 concept being evidence and explanation

evaluated
Buss 1989
sex differences in
mate preference due
to reproductive
biology (Anisogamy)
Clark and sex differences in

Hatfield human reproductive
1969 behaviours
(intersexual
Further selection)
elaboration:
What about
those females
who engage in
short-term
mating
behaviours?
Research
into modern
dating ads
Support for
importance
of fertility
/’sexy sons’
Penton-voak
Geoffrey
Miller
According to social-structuralists like Eagly, there are no
universal explanations which questions the validity of the
Rebuttals:
g_________ basis of human reproductive behaviour because this
Eagly and
tries to provide a un___________ explanation.
the social
structuralis She would argue that human mate choice is is era-d____________t
t and context-b________d, as changes in ge_______ roles over
counter-argu generations demonstrate. This contradicts evolutionary
ment explanations as these predict that behaviour is relatively
co___________t across time and contexts. The variations evident
in human mating behaviour suggest that evolution may provide a
template (biological foundation) but this can be overridden by
social and cultural learning, i.e. nu_________e can override
nature. A multi-perspective may explain human re______________e
behaviour better because so_____l explanations also account for
gender differences in mating behaviour. Human reproductive
behaviour needs to be considered as multifactorial, i.e. it
results from the interaction of two or more g________s with
multiple en________________l factors. Thus, the interaction of
nature and nurture needs to be considered.
Issues &
debates
Culture &
Gender bias
ultimate vs
proximate
Exam Style Practice Questions
1. Outline the evolutionary explanation for partner preferences. Refer to the

relationship between sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour in your
answer. (6 marks)
2. Jurgen likes to dress up nicely to go out clubbing at the weekends. He likes to be

the centre of female attention in the hope that he can outshine all the other men
and hook up with a woman. Noreena also likes going clubbing as often as she can.
She is attractive and gets a lot of offers from men, but she turns them all down
because she’s waiting for ‘Mr Right’.
Outline research into the relationship between sexual selection and human
reproductive behaviour. Refer to the behavior of Jurgen and Noreena in your answer.
(6 marks)
3. Discuss evolutionary explanations for partner preferences. Refer in your answer to

the relationship between sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour. (16
marks)

Sexual Selection Student Worksheet

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sexual Selection Student Worksheet

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sexual Selection Student Worksheet

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

RELATIONSHIPS paper 3:

AO1 Sexual Selection and Human Reproductive Behaviour

AO1 concept being evidence and explanation

Clark and sex differences in

Exam Style Practice Questions

1. Outline the evolutionary explanation for partner preferences. Refer to the

2. Jurgen likes to dress up nicely to go out clubbing at the weekends. He likes to be

3. Discuss evolutionary explanations for partner preferences. Refer in your answer to

You might also like