Mathematical toy model inspired by the problem of the adaptive origins of the sexual orientation continuum
Same-sex sexual behaviour is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, but its adaptive origins remain a prominent puzzle. Here, I suggest the possibility that same-sex sexual behaviour arises as a consequence of the competition between an evolutionary drive for a wide diversity in traits, which improves th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Royal Society,
2017-04-11T19:04:18Z.
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| Online Access: | Get fulltext |
| Summary: | Same-sex sexual behaviour is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, but its adaptive origins remain a prominent puzzle. Here, I suggest the possibility that same-sex sexual behaviour arises as a consequence of the competition between an evolutionary drive for a wide diversity in traits, which improves the adaptability of a population, and a drive for sexual dichotomization of traits, which promotes opposite-sex attraction and increases the rate of reproduction. This trade-off is explored via a simple mathematical 'toy model'. The model exhibits a number of interesting features and suggests a simple mathematical form for describing the sexual orientation continuum. |
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