Within‐population variation in female mating preference affects the opportunity for sexual selection and the evolution of male traits, but things are not as simple as expected

Females from the same population usually have phenotypic variation in their mating preferences. However, the effects of this within‐population variation on the sexual selection acting on males are still unclear. We used individual‐based models to explore how within‐population variation in female preference (i.e. which male trait value is preferred) and preference strength (i.e. how strong the preference is) affects the opportunity for sexual selection ( I s ) and the evolution of a sexually selected male trait. We found the highest I s values when females had high variation in preference and an open‐ended preference function. The lowest I s occurred when the magnitude of variation in female preference and male trait value were the same and preference function was closed. Male trait exaggeration was higher when there was high within‐population variation in preference and females had an open‐ended preference function. Also, higher male trait variation was maintained by high variation in preference, but only for a closed preference function. Thus, we found that only within‐population variation in female preference, not in preference strength, influences the opportunity for sexual selection and the evolution of sexually selected male traits. Moreover, we found that the shape of the preference function (i.e. open‐ended or closed) and the magnitude of within‐population variation in female preference compared to male trait variation also influences the I s and consequently the evolution of male traits.