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

Frequency-dependent Selection

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.

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.

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...

Testing a Claim about Population Proportion

Testing a Claim about Population Proportion

A complete procedure for testing a claim about a population proportion is provided here.
There are two methods of testing a claim about a population proportion: (1) Using the sample proportion from the data where a binomial distribution is approximated to the normal distribution and (2) Using the binomial probabilities calculated from the data.
The first method uses normal distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution. The requirements are as follows: sample size is large...

Chi-square Analysis

Chi-square Analysis

The chi-square test is a statistical hypothesis test. It is used to check whether there is a significant difference between an expected value and an observed value. In the context of genetics, it enables us to either accept or reject a hypothesis, based on how much the observed values deviate from the expected values.
The chi-square test was developed by Pearson in 1990.
The first step of performing a Chi-square analysis is to establish a null hypothesis, which assumes that there is no real...

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

A psychiatric drug found in waste-water plant effluents alters the migratory behavior of critically endangered Anguilla anguilla juveniles.

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety·2023

Same author

Integrating animal behaviour into research on multiple environmental stressors: a conceptual framework.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2023

Same author

Sea lamprey nests promote the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages.

PloS one·2022

Same author

Realistic variations in substrate composition affect spawning preference and egg retention in river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis).

Journal of fish biology·2022

Same author

Correction.

The American naturalist·2022

Same author

Polyandry as a Male Strategy? A Game between Aggressive and Tolerant Males, Arbitrated by Females.

The American naturalist·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 17, 2025

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

Resolving conflict over within-pair mating rate in external fertilizers.

Philip H Crowley¹, Cédric Tentelier²

¹Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA; Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, INRAE, ECOBIOP, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France.

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|October 10, 2021

Summary

Females can ensure male fidelity and exclusive benefits by controlling mating rates, preventing males from mating with multiple partners. This theoretical model reveals three stable mating relationships influenced by female control and sperm regeneration.

Keywords:

Game theory Male care Monogamy Sexual conflict Sperm supply

More Related Videos

A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: July 17, 2017

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: December 2, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 17, 2025

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

A Method to Test the Effect of Environmental Cues on Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: July 17, 2017

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: December 2, 2022

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Behavioral ecology
Reproductive strategies

Background:

Females seek direct fitness benefits from males beyond fertilization, such as resources and care.
Males often maximize fitness by mating with multiple females, distributing benefits and reducing individual female gains.
Divergent interests between sexes create conflict over male fidelity and exclusive access to male-provided benefits.

Purpose of the Study:

To theoretically model how females can achieve male mate fidelity in externally fertilizing species.
To investigate the conditions under which females can secure exclusive access to male benefits.
To identify the factors influencing the evolutionarily stable mating relationships.

Main Methods:

Development of a theoretical model analyzing female mating strategies and male reproductive physiology.
Simulation of female solicitation of copulations to limit male sperm availability.
Analysis of condition-dependent evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) for mating relationships.

Main Results:

Three distinct evolutionarily stable mating relationships emerge based on mating rate control and negotiation.
Female reproductive benefits from exclusive access and egg withholding can enhance male fidelity.
Continuous sperm regeneration, rather than a fixed sperm store, facilitates multiple within-pair matings.

Conclusions:

Female control over mating rate is a viable strategy to ensure male fidelity and exclusive benefits.
Physiological (sperm regeneration), ecological, and behavioral factors significantly shape mating relationship outcomes.
The study provides insights into the evolutionary dynamics of sexual conflict and cooperation in reproductive strategies.