Title | ANIMAL MATING SYSTEMS - A SYNTHESIS BASED ON SELECTION THEORY |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 1994 |
Authors | Arnold, SJ, Duvall, D |
Journal | American Naturalist |
Volume | 143 |
Pagination | 317-348 |
Keywords | sexual selection drosophila-melanogaster reproductive success evolution females behavior males competition variance choice |
Abstract | Following principles used by A. J. Bateman, we identify the relationship between fecundity and mating success as the central feature in the operation of mating systems. Using selection theory from the field of quantitative genetics, we define the sexual selection gradient as the average slope of the relationship between fecundity and mating success and show how it can be estimated from data. We argue that sexual selection gradients are the key to understanding how the intensity of sexual selection is affected by mate provisioning, parental investment, and sex ratio. |