Mate Choice for Genetic Benefits: Time to Put the Pieces Together

It is thought that mate choice allows individuals to obtain genetic benefits for their offspring, and although many studies have found some support for this hypothesis, several critical questions remain unresolved. One main problem is that empirical studies on mate choice and genetic benefits have been rather piecemeal. Some studies (1) aimed to test how mate choice affects offspring fitness, but have not examined whether the benefits are because of genetic effects. Other studies tested whether mate choice provides (2) additive or (3) non-additive genetic benefits and only a few studies (4) considered these genetic effects together. Finally, some studies (5) examined whether the potential b…