Editing Assortative mating (section)

{{Short description|Preferential mating pattern between individuals with similar phenotypes}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2017}}
'''Assortative mating''' (also referred to as positive assortative mating or [[homogamy (sociology)|homogamy]]) is a [[mating system|mating pattern]] and a form of [[sexual selection]] in which individuals with similar [[phenotypes]] or [[genotypes]] [[mating|mate]] with one another more frequently than would be expected under a random mating pattern.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Yuexin |last1=Jiang |first2=Daniel I. |last2=Bolnick |first3=Mark |last3=Kirkpatrick |year=2013 |title=Assortative mating in animals |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=181 |issue=6 |pages=E125–E138 |doi=10.1086/670160 |pmid=23669548 |bibcode=2013ANat..181E.125J |hdl=2152/31270 |s2cid=14484725 |url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/2152/31270/1/AssortativeMatingInAnimals.pdf |hdl-access=free }}</ref> 

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.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Yuexin |last1=Jiang |first2=Daniel I. |last2=Bolnick |first3=Mark |last3=Kirkpatrick |year=2013 |title=Assortative mating in animals |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=181 |issue=6 |pages=E125–E138 |doi=10.1086/670160 |pmid=23669548 |bibcode=2013ANat..181E.125J |hdl=2152/31270 |s2cid=14484725 |url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/2152/31270/1/AssortativeMatingInAnimals.pdf |hdl-access=free }}</ref> {{clarify|date=April 2025}}

The opposite of assortative is [[disassortative mating]], also referred to "negative assortative mating", in which case its opposite is termed "positive assortative mating".