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Fisherian Runaway

 
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Fisherian runaway
 
 
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Fisherian runaway is a model of sexual selection
Sexual selection

Sexual selection is the theory proposed by Charles Darwin that states that certain evolutionary traits can be explained by intraspecific competition....
, first proposed by R.A. Fisher
Ronald Fisher

Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England statistician, evolutionary biologist, and genetics. He was described by Anders Hald as "a genius who almost single-handedly created the foundations for modern statistical science" and Richard Dawkins described him as "the greatest of Charles Darwin successors"....
 in 1915, and expanded upon in his 1930 book The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection
The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection

The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection is a book by Ronald Fisher. It was first published in 1930 by Clarendon. It is one of the most important books of the modern evolutionary synthesis and is commonly cited in biology books....
, that suggests an explanation for sexual selection of traits that do not obviously increase fitness
Fitness (biology)

Fitness is a central concept in evolution. It describes the capability of an individual of certain genotype to reproduce, and usually is equal to the proportion of the individual's genes in all the genes of the next generation....
 of survival, based upon a positive feedback
Positive feedback

Positive feedback, sometimes referred to as "cumulative causation", is a feedback loop system in which the system responds to Perturbation of biological system in the same direction as the perturbation....
 "runaway" mechanism.

er's explanation is that selection of such traits is a result of sexual preference; that members of the opposite sex find a trait desirable.






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Fisherian runaway is a model of sexual selection
Sexual selection

Sexual selection is the theory proposed by Charles Darwin that states that certain evolutionary traits can be explained by intraspecific competition....
, first proposed by R.A. Fisher
Ronald Fisher

Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England statistician, evolutionary biologist, and genetics. He was described by Anders Hald as "a genius who almost single-handedly created the foundations for modern statistical science" and Richard Dawkins described him as "the greatest of Charles Darwin successors"....
 in 1915, and expanded upon in his 1930 book The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection
The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection

The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection is a book by Ronald Fisher. It was first published in 1930 by Clarendon. It is one of the most important books of the modern evolutionary synthesis and is commonly cited in biology books....
, that suggests an explanation for sexual selection of traits that do not obviously increase fitness
Fitness (biology)

Fitness is a central concept in evolution. It describes the capability of an individual of certain genotype to reproduce, and usually is equal to the proportion of the individual's genes in all the genes of the next generation....
 of survival, based upon a positive feedback
Positive feedback

Positive feedback, sometimes referred to as "cumulative causation", is a feedback loop system in which the system responds to Perturbation of biological system in the same direction as the perturbation....
 "runaway" mechanism.

Explanation

Fisher's explanation is that selection of such traits is a result of sexual preference; that members of the opposite sex find a trait desirable. This preference makes the trait advantageous, which in a circular fashion makes having a preference for the trait advantageous.

The process is termed "runaway" because over time, it would facilitate the development of greater preference and more pronounced traits, until the costs of producing the trait balance the reproductive benefit of possessing it.

By way of example, the peacock's tail requires a great deal of energy to grow and maintain, it reduces the bird's agility, and it may increase the animals visibility to predators. Yet it has evolved, indicating that birds with longer tails have some advantage. Fisherian runaway explains that if a peahen selects a peacock with a longer and more colorful tail, then her male children are more likely to have long and colorful tails and are more likely to be sexually successful themselves, because other peahens have the same preference for longer tails. Therefore, in a circular fashion, having a preference for longer tails gives an advantage.

See also

  • Assortative mating
    Assortative mating

    Assortative mating takes place when sexual reproduction organisms tend to mating with individuals that are like themselves in some respect or dissimilar ....
  • Handicap principle
    Handicap principle

    The handicap principle is a hypothesis originally proposed in 1975 by biology Amotz Zahavi to explain how evolution may lead to "honest" or reliable Signalling theory between animals who have an obvious motivation to bluff or deceive each other....
  • Sexual conflict
    Sexual conflict

    Sexual conflict occurs when the two sexes have conflicting optimal fitness strategies concerning reproduction, leading to evolutionary arms race between males and females....
  • Sexy sons hypothesis