Sexual selection in flowering plants
For example, flower symmetry, nectar production, floral structure, and inflorescences are among the secondary sex characteristics acted upon by sexual selection.[1] There are two main mechanisms of sexual selection in flowering plants, one being intra-sexual competition and the other being female mate choice.Floral characters are often subject to strong directional selection from pollinators, and this may disrupt developmental homeostasis in flowers that can develop into large degrees of fluctuating asymmetry.Fluctuating asymmetry in floral traits may lead to sexual selection in plants if pollinators visit symmetrical flowers in an assortative manner.In animal-pollinated species, these differences affect pollinator visitation, competition for mates, and the evolution of sexual dimorphisms.There is no single evolutionary force that drives nectar production, but it is believed that sexual selection plays a major role.Studies have supported the idea that sexual selection is a probable explanation for at least some species with gender-biased nectar production.A specific example comes from the flowers of Impatiens capensis, and how they show increased longevity of the more-rewarding male phase.If sexual selection is currently maintaining gender-biased nectar production, pollinators must be able to distinguish between male and female phase flowers.
Sexual selectionnatural selectionevolutionplantshermaphroditesFlowering plantsmate choiceIntra-sexual selectionhermaphroditicdioecious plantsfemale choiceEntomophilyFloral symmetrypollinatorsdevelopmental homeostasissexual dimorphismsInflorescencesAndroeciumviscinThe gynoeciumBibcodeEvolutionary biologyIntroductionOutlineTimeline of evolutionHistory of lifeAbiogenesisAdaptationAdaptive radiationAltruismCheatingReciprocalBaldwin effectCladisticsCoevolutionMutualismCommon descentConvergenceDivergenceEarliest known life formsEvidence of evolutionEvolutionary arms raceEvolutionary pressureExaptationExtinctionHomologyLast universal common ancestorMacroevolutionMicroevolutionMismatchNon-adaptive radiationOrigin of lifePanspermiaParallel evolutionSignalling theoryHandicap principleSpeciationSpeciesSpecies complexTaxonomyUnit of selectionGene-centered view of evolutionPopulationgeneticsArtificial selectionBiodiversityEvolutionarily stable strategyFisher's principleFitnessInclusiveGene flowGenetic driftKin selectionParental investmentParent–offspring conflictMutationPopulationSexual dimorphismSocial selectionTrivers–Willard hypothesisVariationCanalisationEvolutionary developmental biologyGenetic assimilationInversionModularityPhenotypic plasticityBacteriaoriginBrachiopodsMolluscsCephalopodsInsectsbutterfliesMammalswolvesdolphins and whaleshorsesKangaroosprimateshumanslemurssea cowspollinator-mediatedReptilesSpidersTetrapodsVirusesorgansFlagellasymbiogenesisauditory ossiclenervous systemprocessesAvian flightBiological complexityCooperationColor visionin primatesEmotionEthicsEusocialityMonogamyMoralityMosaic evolutionSexual reproductionLife cycles/nuclear phases