The 150th anniversary ofThe Descent of Man: Darwin and the impact of sex-role reversal on sexual selection research

2021/06/10 by Karoline Fritzsche, Jonathan M. Henshaw, Jonathan M Henshaw +4 · 35 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Biology #Charles darwin #Darwinism #Descent (aeronautics) #Ecology #Evolutionary biology #Genealogy #History #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Mating #Mating system #Plant and animal studies #Selection (genetic algorithm) #Sexual selection

paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blab091

published in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 134(3), 525-540 (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 2021/06/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Abstract The year 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s extraordinary book The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex. Here, we review the history and impact of a single profound insight from The Descent of Man: that, in some few species, females rather than males compete for access to mates. In other words, these species are ‘sex-role reversed’ with respect to mating competition and sexual selection compared to the majority of species in which sexual selection acts most strongly on males. Over the subsequent 150 years, sex-role-reversed species have motivated multiple key conceptual breakthroughs in sexual selection. The surprising mating dynamics of such species challenged scientists’ preconceptions, forcing them to examine implicit assumptions and stereotypes. This wider worldview has led to a richer and more nuanced understanding of animal mating systems and, in particular, to a proper appreciation for the fundamental role that females play in shaping these systems. Sex-role-reversed species have considerable untapped potential and will continue to contribute to sexual selection research in the decades to come.

Citations

• Intra-sexual selection in Drosophila
• The new frontier of genome engineering with CRISPR-Cas9

Cited by

• Plasticity of sex-biased aggression in response to the sex of territory intruders in an African cichlid fish, Julidochromis marlieri.
• Sexual selection: competition for resources provided by mating partners
• Sexually Different Parental Inputs in Pheasant-tailed Jacanas and the Correlates with Brood Success
• Biological Sex Is Binary and Rooted in Anisogamy
• Anisogamy and the Darwin–Bateman paradigm
• Bounds of diversity: queer zoology in Europe from Aristotle to John Hunter
• Human-induced pheromone pollution leads to changes in alternative mating tactics of moths
• Cross-sexual Transfer Revisited
• Anisogamy explains why males benefit more from additional matings. [europepmc]
• Editorial: A 150 years' celebration of Darwin's book on human evolution and sexual selection: its legacy and future prospects. [europepmc]
• High rates of male courtship in a female-ornamented pipefish. [europepmc]
• Brood success of sex-role-reversed pheasant-tailed jacanas: the effects of social polyandry, seasonality, and male mating order. [europepmc]
• Sensitivity of transcriptomics: Different samples and methodology alter conclusions in Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli). [europepmc]
• Anisogamy and the Darwin-Bateman paradigm. [europepmc]
• Human-induced pheromone pollution leads to changes in alternative mating tactics of moths. [europepmc]
• Plasticity of sex-biased aggression in response to the sex of territory intruders in an African cichlid fish, Julidochromis marlieri . [europepmc]

Related

• Sexual Selection Revisited — Towards a Gender-Neutral Theory and Practice
• Sexual selection: Another Darwinian process
• A mind of her own
• The Darwin-Bateman Paradigm in Historical Context
• The rarer-sex effect