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