Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers

Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers

A species is a group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Typically, individuals of the same species appear similar and share common characteristics due to their highly similar genomes. However, not all organisms that look alike are members of the same species. Various mechanisms keep most species discrete. While some mechanisms prevent reproductive behavior and fertilization (pre-zygotic isolation), others prevent the production of fertile offspring after mating has...

Mate Choice

Mate Choice

Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.Gene flow and natural selection are evolutionary mechanisms that shape the outcome of a hybrid zone. Gene flow...

Fixed Action Patterns

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

Dosage Compensation

Dosage Compensation

In animals, gender is determined by the number and type of sex chromosome. For example, human females have two X chromosomes, and males have one X and one Y chromosome, whereas C.elegans with one X chromosome is a male, and the one with two X chromosomes is a hermaphrodite.
In addition to sexual development, the X chromosome has genes involved in autosomal functions such as brain development and the immune system. Therefore, males and females with distinct numbers of X chromosomes will have...

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The genome of the simultaneously hermaphroditic snail Lymnaea stagnalis reveals an evolutionary expansion of FMRFamide-like receptors.

Scientific reports·2024

Same author

Topographic Control of Order in Quasi-2D Granular Phase Transitions.

Physical review letters·2022

Same author

Impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on ectopic pregnancy management in the United Kingdom: a multicentre observational study.

BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology·2021

Same author

Classical stochastic discrete time crystals.

Physical review. E·2020

Same author

Discrete Time Crystals in the Absence of Manifest Symmetries or Disorder in Open Quantum Systems.

Physical review letters·2019

Same author

Phase Transitions in Electron Spin Resonance Under Continuous Microwave Driving.

Physical review letters·2017

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Measuring Sperm Guidance and Motility within the Caenorhabditis elegans Hermaphrodite Reproductive Tract

Measuring Sperm Guidance and Motility within the Caenorhabditis elegans Hermaphrodite Reproductive Tract

Published on: June 6, 2019

Harmful mating tactics in hermaphrodites.

T Preece¹, Y Mao, J P Garrahan

¹School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom. ppxtp@nottingham.ac.uk

The American Naturalist

|March 24, 2009

Summary

Harmful mating tactics in hermaphrodites evolve due to sperm competition and multiple mating. These tactics can reduce partner survival and overall fitness, disadvantaging species using them.

More Related Videos

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

Published on: June 22, 2014

Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Published on: December 25, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Measuring Sperm Guidance and Motility within the Caenorhabditis elegans Hermaphrodite Reproductive Tract

Measuring Sperm Guidance and Motility within the Caenorhabditis elegans Hermaphrodite Reproductive Tract

Published on: June 6, 2019

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

Published on: June 22, 2014

Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Published on: December 25, 2016

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Behavioral ecology
Game theory

Background:

Sperm competition and multiple mating are known drivers of harmful mating tactics in hermaphrodites.
A precise understanding of the interplay between these factors and their evolutionary consequences is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a game-theoretical model analyzing the evolution of harmful mating tactics in hermaphrodites.
To investigate how resource allocation and the degree of harmful mating are influenced by sperm competition and mating behavior.

Main Methods:

Formulation of a game-theoretical model for hermaphroditic mating behavior.
Analysis of evolutionarily stable strategies for resource allocation and harmful mating intensity.

Main Results:

Harmful mating is linked to multiply mating species where first-mate sperm precedence is strong.
Increased efficiency of harmful mating tactics reduces the importance of sperm precedence.
More efficient harmful tactics lead to female-biased resource allocation but ultimately decrease fitness.

Conclusions:

Harmful mating tactics, despite potential sperm competition advantages, can reduce overall fitness in hermaphrodites.
Species employing harmful mating tactics may be outcompeted for resources by other species.