A biological term referring to the process by which certain traits become more common in a population due to mate choice or competition for mates.
The peacock's showy feathers are thought to be a result of sexual selection.
Compound of 性 (せい, 'sex') and 淘汰 (とうた, 'selection, weeding out'). The term is a direct translation of the English 'sexual selection', coined in evolutionary biology.