Cuckolded Fathers Rare in Human Populations
Maarten H D Larmuseau1, Koen Matthijs2, Tom Wenseleers3
1Department of Imaging and Pathology, Forensic Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Biology, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|April 24, 2016
Summary
Historical human extra-pair paternity (EPP) rates are low, challenging the good genes hypothesis. Modern contraceptives may bias contemporary EPP data, suggesting past mating behaviors differed significantly.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Human reproductive behavior
- Population genetics
Background:
- Contemporary extra-pair paternity (EPP) studies in humans may be skewed by modern contraceptive use.
- Estimating historical EPP rates is crucial for understanding ancestral human mating strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate historical extra-pair paternity (EPP) rates in human populations.
- To evaluate the validity of the 'good genes' hypothesis in the context of human mating behavior.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of historical demographic and genetic data.
- Comparative studies across different human populations.
Main Results:
- Observed historical EPP rates are consistently low across studied populations.
- Low historical EPP rates do not support the notion of widespread female 'good gene' seeking through extra-pair copulations.
Conclusions:
- The 'good genes' hypothesis, as applied to human extra-pair mating, may be an oversimplification.
- Historical human reproductive strategies likely differed from those suggested by contemporary, potentially biased, EPP data.
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