PSY352H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Sexy Son Hypothesis, Carotenoid, Mate Choice
Document Summary
Males and females are different: statistics ; single ejaculation contains approx. When they are reproductively active they have a large number of sperm ready for use at any time. This reserve can usually be very quickly replenished. The gametes of females are large, immobile, expensive and finite (short) supply: consequence of anisogamy reproductive event may be more important to a female animal than to a male. Example: in season a lioness may mate with one of the males in her pride every 15 minutes. In total she may mate 3000 times before becoming pregnant. During that time she has contributed only a single egg but billions of sperms have contributed. Important consequence for social behaviour of lions. The small value to the coupling event means that in prides with few males, the males don"t compete to monopolize females that are in season.
