Sexual selection generates countless variations in morphologies, physiologies, and behavioral traits of individuals and can interact with natural selection, generating and maintaining the immense biodiversity observed in nature. The strength and direction in which sexual selective forces act depend on local environmental conditions. Despite the importance of understanding how individual traits are adjusted to demographic and ecological factors in the field (e.g., mate competition, density, climatic variation, food resources, predation), the vast majority of sexual selection studies are conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. The aim of this symposium is to create a platform for exchange and discussion regarding what we know about the effects of sexual selection in natural populations of Neotropical arachnids, contrasting with laboratory results. For this purpose, we propose four talks, each dedicated to a particular biological model, with their research approaches serving as examples to promote the development of such studies in the region.

Organizer:

- Maria J. Albo, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.

- Glauco Machado, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.

Speakers:

- Paola Olivero, Facultad de Cs. Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Córdoba, Argentina.

- Rafael Ríos Moura, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil

- Maria J Albo, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.

- Glauco Machado, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.