LIFESCI 2D03 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Research Question, Scramble Competition, Promiscuity
20 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Emlen and oring argued that mating systems can be understood by examining 2 factors: sexual conflict: the differential selection on males and females to maximize fitness. Females: fitness will often be more strongly limited by the resources she can obtain to invest in offspring. Males: fitness is often determined by the number of sexual partners he obtains: the ways in which resource limitation and distribution affects the fitness benefits/costs for each sex. Eggs are relatively large and should require more energy to produce. In many species, females expend more energy on parental care: males fitness is more strongly affected by the number of sexual partners he obtains. If sexual conflict does not exist because care from both parents is required to successfully raise offspring, selection will favor monogamy and bi-parental care. Males will then mate with all females that remain near the resources defended.
