What type of selection is based on mate choice?

The type of selection based on mate choice is sexual selection. It occurs when differences in mating success cause certain traits or behaviors to become more common in a population.

Sexual selection has two major forms. In intersexual selection, individuals choose mates based on traits such as courtship displays, coloration, songs, or apparent health. In intrasexual selection, members of the same sex compete for access to mates, as male deer do when they clash with their antlers.

Charles Darwin developed the idea in The Descent of Man, published in 1871, to explain features that seemed costly for survival but useful for attracting mates. The peacock's elaborate tail is a classic example: it may hinder escape from predators, yet females' preferences can give showier males greater reproductive success.

A common mix-up is treating sexual selection and natural selection as completely unrelated. Sexual selection is generally considered a component of natural selection, because both alter reproductive success. Mate choice is one route to sexual selection, but competition among potential mates is another.