Question

Studies have linked high levels of testosterone to increased risks of prostate cancer, but testosterone also provides mating advantages to males. Given your understanding of how evolution works, what is the most plausible interpretation of this situation? Select one: a. Sexual selection can favor traits that inflict survival costs if those traits sufficiently increase mating success. b. Selection must now be in the process of decreasing male testosterone. c. In terms of the survival of the species, it doesn’t matter if most males die because the females make the young and a few surviving males can fertilize all the females. d. Male deaths from prostate cancer altruistically leave more food for the female members of the population. e. None of the above is correct.

Answer 1

a. Sexual selection can favor traits that inflict survival costs if those traits sufficiently increase mating success.

This means that the decrease in survival due to high risk of prostate cancer gets nullified by the increased mating behaviour as this would ensure that the male is being able to pass on his genes to his offspring (at a higher rate). Hence if you look at the bigger picture, i.e from the evolutionary point of view, the race/ species holds a better chance of survival and persistence.

Not b. because testosterone is an important hormone.it is responsible for secondary sexual characteristics in male.

Not c. Because largely humany donor practice polygamy

Not d. Because more food will only help the remaining females to survive but will not help in reproduction and hence they would extinct.