Evolution: do bad husbands make good fathers?
Males sometimes harm their mates as they seek to maximise the number of offspring they sire. But are females really suffering or do the benefits of having sons that inherit their father's manipulative traits make up for the costs? Three recent studies provide the first hard data addressing this issue, but they differ in their conclusions.
Hosken
David J
DJ
Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter in Cornwall, Tremough Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK.
Tregenza
Tom
T
D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology; D005828:Genetics, Population; D008297:Male; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012737:Sex Factors; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*