Aims & Learning Objectives:
Aims: to develop an understanding of sexual selection, and to explore how the antagonistic interests of males and females have shaped their behaviour, ecology and evolution. After taking this course the students should be able to:
* understand the origin and the basic principles of sexual conflict;
* relate sexual conflict to a variety of behavioural strategies such as mate choice, mating systems and parental care, and;
* critically evaluate the implications of sexual conflict for behaviour, ecology and phylogeny.
Content:
This course comprises of a series of lectures, group discussions. The topics will include the origin of sexual conflict; mate choice, mating systems and parental care; the influences of natural and sexual selection on sexual size dimorphism; the implications of sexual conflict for speciation and extinction.
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