News release

From: The Royal Society

Ornaments evolve faster than weapons

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Why do some sexually selected traits evolve faster than others? Using mathematical models and comparative analyses across diverse animal groups, we found that flashy male ornaments that are chosen by females generally evolve faster than weapons used in male–male combat. Our results suggest that fluctuating female preferences create constantly shifting selection pressures that accelerate ornament evolution, whereas weapons are shaped by more stable competitive and functional demands. These findings reveal a fundamental difference between the two major forms of sexual selection and help explain how animal diversity evolves over long evolutionary timescales.