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Assortative mating (also referred to as positive assortative mating or homogamy) is a mating pattern and a form of sexual selection in which individuals with similar phenotypes or genotypes mate with one another more frequently than would be expected under a random mating pattern.[1]
A majority of the phenotypes that are subject to assortative mating are body size, visual signals (e.g. color, pattern), and sexually selected traits such as crest size.[2]
The opposite of assortative is disassortative mating.
- ^ Jiang, Yuexin; Bolnick, Daniel I.; Kirkpatrick, Mark (2013). "Assortative mating in animals" (PDF). The American Naturalist. 181 (6): E125–E138. doi:10.1086/670160. hdl:2152/31270. PMID 23669548. S2CID 14484725.
- ^ Jiang, Yuexin; Bolnick, Daniel I.; Kirkpatrick, Mark (2013). "Assortative mating in animals" (PDF). The American Naturalist. 181 (6): E125–E138. doi:10.1086/670160. hdl:2152/31270. PMID 23669548. S2CID 14484725.