Fluctuating paradigm

A prominent paradigm in evolutionary biology over the last ten years has be en the role of fluctuating asymmetry in sexual selection. Fluctuating asymm etry in bilaterally paired traits, and in particular sexual traits, has bee n proposed to be a reliable indicator of individual quality and the focus o f selection through sexual competition and attractiveness. We surveyed the literature on fluctuating asymmetry and sexual selection and found a marked chronological decline in the proportion of studies supporting the paradigm through the 1990s. Our data are supported by an independent meta-analysis of the literature. The data conform with the notion of a scientific revolut ion in which the early phase of a paradigm change is characterized by a pub lication bias, a less critical approach to research, or both. The patterns we observe in the fluctuating asymmetry literature suggest caution in drawi ng general conclusions from meta-analyses conducted before revolutions hare settled.