Sexual Selection

Runaway selection, honest signals, and the peacock's tail paradox

Generation: 0 Mean trait: 0.50 Mean pref: 0.50 Variance: 0.10
Fisher's runaway selection: female preference and male trait become genetically correlated. Once established, both can evolve beyond natural-selection optima — a "runaway" process. Zahavian handicap principle: costly signals (like the peacock's tail) are honest because only high-quality males can afford them. The Lande 1981 model shows a "line of equilibria" where natural and sexual selection balance.