نوسان عدم تقارن، سرعت سوخت و ساز و انتخاب جنسی در مردان انسان

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a measure of developmental stability, may be important in human sexual selection, that is in mate choice and male-male competition. It is shown that in males (but not in females) resting metabolic rate (RMR) is positively related to FA. This is explained in terms of the balanced energy equation of males. Sexual selection for large body size (resulting from male-male competition) and low FA (a consequence of mate choice) results in a stress on the provision of energy for growth and the maintenance of symmetry. Viewed in this way, sexual selection is similar to any other stress such as overcrowding and starvation. High-quality males are better able to withstand the stress of sexual selection than low-quality males. The former have “energy-thrifty genotypes” and are able to allocate more energy to growth and reducing FA than the latter.