Sexual conflict occurs when selection acts in opposing directions on males and females. Case studies in both vertebrates and invertebrates indicate that sexual conflict maintains genetic diversity through balancing selection, which might explain why many populations show more genetic variation than expected. Recent population genomic approaches based on different measures of balancing selection have suggested that sexual conflict can arise over survival, not just reproductive fitness as previously thought. A fuller understanding of sexual conflict will provide insight into its contribution to adaptive evolution and will reveal the constraints it might impose on populations.

当选择反对对男性和女性的作用方向发生性冲突。在脊椎动物和无脊椎动物中的案例研究表明，性冲突通过平衡选择来维持遗传多样性，这也许可以解释为什么许多种群显示出比预期更多的遗传变异。最近基于不同平衡选择措施的人群基因组学方法表明，性冲突可能会在生存过程中发生，而不仅仅是先前认为的生殖适应性。对性冲突的更全面了解将有助于洞悉性冲突对适应性进化的贡献，并揭示性冲突可能对人群造成的制约。