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Assortative mating
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<p>Assortative mating (also referred to as positive assortative mating or <a href="/facts/Homogamy_(sociology)/LyvwgX3K">homogamy</a>) is a <a href="/facts/Mating_system/nglnu71K">mating pattern</a> and a form of <a href="/facts/Sexual_selection/AjDd8Tam">sexual selection</a> in which individuals with similar <a href="/facts/Phenotypes/vxWXKGLj">phenotypes</a> or <a href="/facts/Genotypes/MlzK1Mfz">genotypes</a> <a href="/facts/Mating/o2voslGF">mate</a> with one another more frequently than would be expected under a random mating pattern. </p><p>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. </p><p>The opposite of assortative is <a href="/facts/Disassortative_mating/W7h1J5Th">disassortative mating</a>, also referred to "negative assortative mating", in which case its opposite is termed "positive assortative mating". </p>