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SUMMARY:Sexual selection in females: insights from baboon societies - Elis
 e Huchard
DTSTART:20130131T131000Z
DTEND:20130131T140000Z
UID:TALK39708@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sven Friedemann
DESCRIPTION:Sexual selection was initially introduced by Darwin to explain
  the evolution of extravagant secondary sexual characters which appear use
 less in the struggle for existence\, like the peacock’s tail. It has bec
 ome a major research focus in modern organismal biology\, providing an evo
 lutionary framework to understand sex differences. However\, the study of 
 sexual selection has been heavily biased towards males\, and we know compa
 ratively little in females. Today I will talk about one of the most striki
 ng examples of sexual selection in females: the perineal swellings borne b
 y female primates\, including chimpanzees. Ornaments are usually found in 
 males\, and the evolution of sexual swellings has thus been a long puzzle 
 for evolutionary biologists. I will present empirical tests investigating 
 the evolutionary significance of sexual swellings in wild baboons to show 
 that reproductive competition among females can be intense in promiscuous 
 primate societies\, and that mechanisms of sexual selection are qualitativ
 ely similar in males and females.
LOCATION:1 Newnham Terrace\, Darwin College
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