Sperm competition and ejaculate economics

Sperm competition was identified in 1970 as a pervasive selective force in post-copulatory sexual selection that occurs when the ejaculates of different males compete to fertilise a given set of ova. Since then, sperm competition has been much studied both empirically and theoretically. Because sperm competition often favours large ejaculates, an important challenge has been to understand the evolution of strategies through which males invest in sperm production and economise sperm allocation to maximise reproductive success under competitive conditions. Sperm competition mechanisms vary greatly, depending on many factors including the level of sperm competition, space constraints in the sperm competition…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: NE/H008047/1, NE/D003865/1, NE/D002788/1
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: NE/D003865/1, NE/D002788/1, NE/H008047/1