Exaggerated Traits and Breeding Success in Widowbirds: A Case of Sexual Selection and Evolution
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- Author:
- J. Phil Gibson
- Subject:
- Science and Technology, Social Sciences
- Institution Name:
- National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
- Collection:
- Case Study Teaching in Science
- Grade Level:
- Secondary, Post-secondary
- Grade Sub-Level:
- High School, Community College - Lower Division, College - Upper Division
- Abstract:
Sexual selection has led to the evolution of interesting traits and behaviors in many animal species. In widowbirds, males undergo a dramatic change in plumage coloration and produce exceptionally long tail feathers during the breeding season. This change in appearance has facets of both intrasexual and intersexual selection. As students work through this interrupted case, they develop hypotheses and propose corresponding experiments. They are then presented with data from actual experiments on sexual selection in widowbirds that they must analyze and interpret. Developed for introductory-level biology students, the case could be adapted for upper-division ecology and evolution courses.
- Languages:
- English
- Material Type:
- Activities and Labs, Lesson Plans
- Media Format:
- Text/HTML, Downloadable docs
- Conditions of Use:
- Read the fine print
- Copyright Holder:
- National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, University at Buffalo
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