[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":304},["ShallowReactive",2],{"encyclopedia_en:\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fpolovoi-otbor":3,"alt-locale:encyclopedia_en:\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fpolovoi-otbor":111,"section-listing:encyclopedia_en:\u002Fentsiklopediya":136,"section-listing:disabled":297,"related-covers:en:":298,"related-covers:en:\u002Fvidy-babochek\u002Fvidy\u002Fpticekrylka-bruka|\u002Fvidy-babochek\u002Fvidy\u002Fparusnik-bianor|\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-i-opyleniye":299},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"coverImage":96,"description":97,"extension":98,"faq":99,"imagePrompt":109,"meta":110,"navigation":111,"order":112,"pageType":113,"path":114,"publishedAt":115,"readingMinutes":116,"relatedLinks":117,"seo":130,"sitemap":133,"stem":134,"tags":112,"updatedAt":112,"__hash__":135},"encyclopedia_en\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fpolovoi-otbor.md","Sexual Selection",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":88},"minimark",[9,14,27,31,42,45,49,67,71,74],[10,11,13],"h2",{"id":12},"definition","Definition",[15,16,17,21,22,26],"p",{},[18,19,20],"strong",{},"Sexual selection"," is a component of evolution by natural selection that acts specifically on traits influencing an individual's success at securing mates, as opposed to traits that affect survival in general. First formally described by Charles Darwin as a way to explain traits that seemed to work ",[23,24,25],"em",{},"against"," survival — bright colours that attract predators, elaborate structures that cost energy to grow and carry — sexual selection resolves the apparent paradox by showing that a mating advantage can outweigh a survival cost, as long as the net effect on reproductive success is positive.",[10,28,30],{"id":29},"two-mechanisms-choice-and-competition","Two mechanisms: choice and competition",[15,32,33,34,37,38,41],{},"Sexual selection typically operates through one or both of two mechanisms. ",[18,35,36],{},"Mate choice"," occurs when one sex, often females, preferentially mates with individuals displaying a particular trait — vivid colour, symmetrical pattern, a specific courtship display — driving that trait to become more elaborate over generations as choosier preferences and more extreme traits reinforce each other. ",[18,39,40],{},"Mating competition"," occurs when individuals of one sex, typically males, compete directly with each other for access to mates, favoring traits useful in contests: larger body size, more persistent territorial behaviour, or structures used in direct confrontation.",[15,43,44],{},"Among butterflies, direct physical combat is rare, but competitive interactions over territory and perches — and the visual signals used to assess a rival's condition without escalating to contact — are well documented, alongside apparent female preference for particular male wing patterns in several studied species.",[10,46,48],{"id":47},"sexual-selection-and-wing-colour","Sexual selection and wing colour",[15,50,51,52,55,56,59,60,55,63,66],{},"Many of the most visually striking butterfly patterns are plausible products of sexual selection. Species such as ",[18,53,54],{},"Rajah Brooke's birdwing"," (",[23,57,58],{},"Ornithoptera brookiana","), with its intense green iridescent bands, and the ",[18,61,62],{},"Chinese peacock",[23,64,65],{},"Papilio bianor","), whose black wings shimmer blue-green and gold, display exactly the kind of conspicuous, energetically costly colouration that a pure survival-based model of evolution would struggle to explain on its own — but that sexual selection, through mate choice or male-male signalling, accounts for readily.",[10,68,70],{"id":69},"distinguishing-sexual-selection-from-other-explanations","Distinguishing sexual selection from other explanations",[15,72,73],{},"Not every bright colour in a butterfly is necessarily the product of sexual selection — aposematic warning colour, structural colour used in thermoregulation, and species-recognition signals can all produce vivid patterns for reasons unrelated to mate choice. Researchers typically test for sexual selection specifically by looking for a sex difference in the trait (since selection pressures often differ between males and females), and by directly measuring whether individuals with more elaborate versions of the trait actually achieve higher mating success in the wild or in controlled experiments.",[15,75,76,77,82,83,87],{},"See also: ",[78,79,81],"a",{"href":80},"\u002Fen\u002Fslovar\u002Fferomon","pheromone",", ",[78,84,86],{"href":85},"\u002Fen\u002Fzhizn-babochek\u002Fterritorialnoe-povedenie","territorial behavior",".",{"title":89,"searchDepth":90,"depth":90,"links":91},"",2,[92,93,94,95],{"id":12,"depth":90,"text":13},{"id":29,"depth":90,"text":30},{"id":47,"depth":90,"text":48},{"id":69,"depth":90,"text":70},"\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fpolovoi-otbor.png","Sexual selection is evolution driven by mate choice or mating competition rather than survival alone — it explains many of the most extravagant colours and behaviours in butterflies.","md",[100,103,106],{"q":101,"a":102},"What is sexual selection?","Sexual selection is a form of natural selection that acts specifically on traits affecting an individual's success at obtaining mates, rather than traits affecting survival alone — it can favor bright colours, elaborate wing shapes, or courtship behaviours even when those same traits make an individual more visible to predators.",{"q":104,"a":105},"How does sexual selection explain colourful butterflies?","In many species, one sex — usually males — evolves conspicuous wing colour or pattern specifically because it makes them more attractive to choosy mates or more successful in contests with rival males, a benefit that can outweigh the cost of increased visibility to predators, producing exactly the kind of bright, showy patterns seen in groups like birdwings and peacock swallowtails.",{"q":107,"a":108},"Is sexual selection the same as natural selection?","Sexual selection is usually considered a specific component of natural selection in the broad sense, distinguished because it can favor traits that reduce survival, provided the mating advantage more than compensates — a pattern that would be paradoxical under a model of selection driven by survival alone.","Photorealistic macro photo, brilliant green iridescent swallowtail butterfly perched on a sunlit leaf displaying its wings, another duller individual approaching in soft focus background, 16:9",{},true,null,"encyclopedia","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fpolovoi-otbor","03.10.2026",1,[118,122,126],{"label":119,"path":120,"description":121},"Rajah Brooke's Birdwing","\u002Fvidy-babochek\u002Fvidy\u002Fpticekrylka-bruka","A species whose electric-green display colour is a plausible product of sexual selection",{"label":123,"path":124,"description":125},"Chinese Peacock","\u002Fvidy-babochek\u002Fvidy\u002Fparusnik-bianor","A hilltopping swallowtail whose iridescent colour and mate-locating behaviour connect to sexual selection",{"label":127,"path":128,"description":129},"Butterflies as Pollinators: Their Role in Ecosystems","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-i-opyleniye","How butterfly-flower interactions relate to the visual signalling covered here",{"title":131,"description":132},"Sexual Selection — why some butterflies evolve extravagant colour","Sexual selection: evolution driven by mate choice or mating contests. How it explains bright wing colour and elaborate display in butterflies.",{"loc":114},"entsiklopediya\u002Fpolovoi-otbor","F4s-eoYt6zU7aRgiK1lYKJMuvE_07YFvVk_5iVeDEVE",[137,143,149,153,159,165,171,177,183,189,195,201,207,213,219,225,231,237,238,244,250,256,262,267,273,279,285,291],{"title":138,"description":139,"path":140,"coverImage":141,"publishedAt":142,"order":112},"Butterflies and the Future: Modelling Range Shifts and Extinction Risk","Climate change is projected to redraw where butterflies can live — modelled winners expand, mountain and northern specialists run out of habitat.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-budushchego","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-budushchego.png","20.07.2026",{"title":144,"description":145,"path":146,"coverImage":147,"publishedAt":148,"order":112},"Butterflies as Agricultural Pests","A small number of butterfly species damage crops as caterpillars feed on plants — cabbage whites are most important, plus legume and fruit-tree pests.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-vrediteli","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-vrediteli.png","05.09.2026",{"title":127,"description":150,"path":128,"coverImage":151,"publishedAt":152,"order":112},"Butterflies are the world's most visible pollinators — but how does their contribution compare to bees? Ecology of butterfly pollination and decline.","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-i-opyleniye.png","02.10.2026",{"title":154,"description":155,"path":156,"coverImage":157,"publishedAt":158,"order":112},"Butterflies in Art and Culture","Butterflies have inspired art, mythology, and belief on every continent — from ancient Egypt to Nabokov's fiction, one of humanity's most resonant symbols.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-v-kulture","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-v-kulture.png","18.08.2026",{"title":160,"description":161,"path":162,"coverImage":163,"publishedAt":164,"order":112},"Butterflies of Meadows and Steppes","Meadows and steppes support the richest butterfly communities in the temperate world, but face drastic losses across temperate Eurasia.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-lugov-i-stepej","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-lugov-i-stepej.png","06.08.2026",{"title":166,"description":167,"path":168,"coverImage":169,"publishedAt":170,"order":112},"Butterflies of Mountain Ecosystems","Mountain butterflies face extreme conditions — intense UV, cold nights, thin air — yet alpine zones support specialised, spectacular communities.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fgornie-babochki","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fgornie-babochki.png","31.07.2026",{"title":172,"description":173,"path":174,"coverImage":175,"publishedAt":176,"order":112},"Butterflies of Tropical Forests","Tropical forests cover less than 7% of Earth's land, but harbour over half of all butterfly species, spread across forest layers and under growing threat.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-tropicheskih-lesov","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-tropicheskih-lesov.png","12.05.2026",{"title":178,"description":179,"path":180,"coverImage":181,"publishedAt":182,"order":112},"Butterfly Observer's Equipment","You need very little to start watching butterflies — good binoculars and a field guide take you most of the way. This covers essential and optional gear.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Foborudovanie-nablyudatelya","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Foborudovanie-nablyudatelya.png","22.05.2026",{"title":184,"description":185,"path":186,"coverImage":187,"publishedAt":188,"order":112},"Butterfly vs. Moth: What Actually Separates Them","Butterflies and moths are not formally separate scientific groups — the popular distinction rests on a handful of unreliable rules of thumb rather than a single defining trait.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochka-i-molj-razlichiya","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochka-i-molj-razlichiya.png","24.09.2026",{"title":190,"description":191,"path":192,"coverImage":193,"publishedAt":194,"order":112},"Evolution of Butterflies: 150 Million Years","Butterflies are a young branch of Lepidoptera with ancient roots. From Jurassic moths to explosive diversity with flowers — their 150-million-year story.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fevolyuciya-babochek","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fevolyuciya-babochek.png","14.09.2026",{"title":196,"description":197,"path":198,"coverImage":199,"publishedAt":200,"order":112},"History of Butterfly Research: From Aristotle to the Genomic Era","The study of butterflies spans two thousand years, from Aristotle to DNA classification. A history of lepidopterology's explorers and scientists.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fistoriya-izucheniya","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fistoriya-izucheniya.png","23.09.2026",{"title":202,"description":203,"path":204,"coverImage":205,"publishedAt":206,"order":112},"How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden","A butterfly-friendly garden needs the right nectar and host plants, sunny sheltered spots, and minimal pesticide use to support butterflies year-round.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-v-sadu","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-v-sadu.png","15.05.2026",{"title":208,"description":209,"path":210,"coverImage":211,"publishedAt":212,"order":112},"How to Photograph Butterflies","Butterfly photography rewards patience and technique. This guide covers camera settings, approach methods, light conditions, and getting sharp close-up shots.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkak-fotografirovat-babochek","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkak-fotografirovat-babochek.png","19.05.2026",{"title":214,"description":215,"path":216,"coverImage":217,"publishedAt":218,"order":112},"Mimicry and Camouflage in Butterflies","How butterflies use Batesian and Müllerian mimicry, warning colours, and camouflage to survive — from mocker swallowtails to dead-leaf butterflies.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fmimikriya-i-maskirovka","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fmimikriya-i-maskirovka.png","24.07.2026",{"title":220,"description":221,"path":222,"coverImage":223,"publishedAt":224,"order":112},"Monarch Butterfly Migration — One of Nature's Greatest Journeys","Every autumn, monarch butterflies travel up to 4,500km from Canada to Mexican mountain forests — navigation and multigenerational memory puzzle science.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fmigratsiya-monarkha","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fmigratsiya-monarkha.png","08.05.2026",{"title":226,"description":227,"path":228,"coverImage":229,"publishedAt":230,"order":112},"Raising Butterflies at Home","Raising butterflies through metamorphosis, from egg to adult, is a rewarding home experience — equipment, host plants, and care for common European species.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fvivarij-dlya-babochek","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fvivarij-dlya-babochek.png","27.08.2026",{"title":232,"description":233,"path":234,"coverImage":235,"publishedAt":236,"order":112},"Red Data Book Butterflies of Russia","Russia's Red Data Book 2020 list: categories 0–5 and which day-flying butterflies are actually listed. What that means for observers.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkrasnaya-kniga-babochek-rossii","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkrasnaya-kniga-babochek-rossii.png","26.05.2026",{"title":5,"description":97,"path":114,"coverImage":96,"publishedAt":115,"order":112},{"title":239,"description":240,"path":241,"coverImage":242,"publishedAt":243,"order":112},"The Global IUCN Red List and Butterfly Conservation Status","How the IUCN Red List assesses butterfly extinction risk worldwide, and why so few of the roughly 18,000 known species have been formally evaluated.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkrasnaya-kniga-babochek-mira","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkrasnaya-kniga-babochek-mira.png","22.07.2026",{"title":245,"description":246,"path":247,"coverImage":248,"publishedAt":249,"order":112},"The Rarest Butterflies in the World","Thousands of butterflies face extinction, but a few now survive on a thread — a handful of sites or one habitat patch. A guide to the rarest species.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fredkie-vidy-mira","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fredkie-vidy-mira.png","11.10.2026",{"title":251,"description":252,"path":253,"coverImage":254,"publishedAt":255,"order":112},"Wing Scales and Structural Colour: How a Butterfly's Wing Actually Works","Why butterfly wings are covered in microscopic scales, and how some colours — like Morpho blue — come from physical structure rather than pigment.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fstroenie-kryla-babochki","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fstroenie-kryla-babochki.png","26.07.2026",{"title":257,"description":258,"path":259,"coverImage":260,"publishedAt":261,"order":116},"What Are Butterflies","Butterflies are insects of the order Lepidoptera with four wings covered in scales. More than 157,000 species exist worldwide.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fchto-takoe-babochki","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fchto-takoe-babochki.png","01.05.2026",{"title":263,"description":264,"path":265,"coverImage":266,"publishedAt":261,"order":90},"How Many Butterfly Species Exist","About 157,000 lepidopteran species are described worldwide. Day-flying butterflies number about 20,000 species. Including undiscovered species, estimates reach 180,000–200,000.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fskolko-vidov-babochek-sushchestvuet","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fskolko-vidov-babochek-sushchestvuet.png",{"title":268,"description":269,"path":270,"coverImage":271,"publishedAt":261,"order":272},"How Butterflies Differ from Moths","Butterflies and moths are both lepidopterans, but differ in antennae, resting posture, and activity time. We examine the features with examples.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-i-motylki","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fbabochki-i-motylki.png",3,{"title":274,"description":275,"path":276,"coverImage":277,"publishedAt":261,"order":278},"Popular Butterfly Species","The best-known butterflies of the world: swallowtail, red admiral, peacock, Apollo, monarch — descriptions and where to find them.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fpopulyarnye-vidy-babochek","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fpopulyarnye-vidy-babochek.png",4,{"title":280,"description":281,"path":282,"coverImage":283,"publishedAt":261,"order":284},"Butterfly Life Cycle","The butterfly life cycle has four stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult. Complete metamorphosis lasts from several weeks to several years.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fzhiznennyj-tsikl","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fzhiznennyj-tsikl.png",5,{"title":286,"description":287,"path":288,"coverImage":289,"publishedAt":261,"order":290},"Where Butterflies Live","Butterflies inhabit all climatic zones except Antarctica. We explore biotopes: tropics, meadows, forests, mountains, steppes, tundra, and cities.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fgde-obitayut-babochki","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fgde-obitayut-babochki.png",6,{"title":292,"description":293,"path":294,"coverImage":295,"publishedAt":261,"order":296},"How to Use the Atlas","Guide to using the butterfly atlas: how to identify a species, how sections are organized, and how to use the identification guide and encyclopedia.","\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkak-polzovatsya-atlasom","\u002Fimages\u002Fentsiklopediya\u002Fkak-polzovatsya-atlasom.png",7,[],[],[300,303],{"label":119,"path":120,"description":121,"coverImage":301,"latinName":302},"\u002Fimages\u002Fvidy-babochek\u002Fvidy\u002Fpticekrylka-bruka.png","Trogonoptera brookiana",{"label":127,"path":128,"description":129,"coverImage":151,"latinName":112},1791911193996]