Sex war


Sexual coevolution

It seems there may be something to competition in mating behaviours between male and female.

This simulation allows various factors to evolve in a largish (100K-500K) population of individuals.

Interestingly, the species develops into something like mosquitoes. Most of the population is female, it has rapid maturity and gestation, and a relatively long life span.

Starting from a moderate level (50%), the population maintains a low level (10%) of individuals with a moderate inimical behaviour toward the opposite sex. (In this model both sexes can "damage" the other during mating; preventing further matings until after a "repair period" determined from the difference between the attacker's ferocity and the defender's ability to repel the attack).

From an initial population with average immaturity, gestation and lifetime of around 15 time units, the population evolves to have a gestation time and immaturity period of around 5.5 units, and a lifetime of around 31 units (the maximum available in the "physics" of this model).

Attack ferocity (by either sex) evolves from an initial value equivalent to damaging the mating partner for 5 time units toward a value of 1-2 time units. Defence capability evolves from a value equivalent to healing the most ferocious attacks within 25 time units through a value that will succumb to an average attack for 4 time units, to a value where all but the most ferocious attacks will have no impact.

Simple simulation program (450 lines of C).

Also see: Sex wars drive evolution, "The Scientist", Jun 26, 2003.



birth rate

death rate

prop male

prop female

offspring similar to either parent

offspring more like mother

offspring more like father

avg children per birth

avg gestation

avg development time

avg longevity

prop females pregnant

prop immature young

avg attack

avg defence

prop damaged


Kym Horsell /
Kym@KymHorsell.COM

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