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Stress and limits to adaptation: Sexual ornaments
Author(s) -
Parsons P. A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1995.8040455.x
Subject(s) - ornaments , biology , adaptation (eye) , extinction (optical mineralogy) , sexual selection , context (archaeology) , ecology , resistance (ecology) , zoology , geography , paleontology , archaeology , neuroscience , style (visual arts)
Limits to adaptation of sexual ornaments are discussed in the context of the stressful environments of free‐living populations. A trade‐off occurs whereby the energetic demands from the development and maintenance of sexual ornaments of increasing size are countered by (1) the energetic cost of stress in particular from parasites and climatic extremes, and (2) a lack of energy from nutritional inadequacy. Furthermore, at times of environmental deterioration followed by high extinction rates, sexually dimorphic species should be particularly vulnerable. However, at these unfavourable times, individuals carrying genes for stress resistance should have the potential for developing the most extreme ornaments.