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Mating

reproductive strategies - supposed to maximize reproductive success

  • mate choice - females picks the male w/ best qualities to mate
    • male mate choice less common
    • females pick males w/ best chances of survival (best genes)
    • handicap hypothesis - some females choose males w/ parts that decreases chances of survival on assumption that the male must be strong to survive w/ bad traits
    • sensory exploitation - males have characteristics that females naturally tend to see
  • parental investment - amount of work each sex puts into producing/raising offspring
  • more costly for females during reproduction >> more choosy about who to mate w/
  • sexual selection - either intrasexual or intersexual
    • intrasexual selection - competition between members of same sex
    • sexual dimorphism - differences between the 2 sexes
    • sperm competition - where sperm differs, some faster/larger than others
    • intersexual selection - mate choice

courtship - animals produce signals to communicate w/ potential mates

  • can attack conspecific males (males of same species) to defend nest
  • species-specific signals - only understand within a single species >> reproductive isolation
  • pheromones - chemical signals used as sex attractants
  • level of specificity - relates to the function of the signal

mating strategies - females decide >> males fight to be the most visible

  • monogamy - mating w/ 1 exclusively for a time period
    • for breeding season or life
  • polygamy - mating w/ more than 1
    • polyandry - 1 female w/ more than 1 male
    • polygyny - 1 male w/ more than 1 female
  • promiscuity - no relationships
    • leaves after reproducing
  • altricial - need prolonged/extensive care
  • precocial - requires little care, males more likely to be polygynous
Subject: 
Biology
Subject X2: 
Biology

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