Polyandry in nature: a global analysis.
A popular notion in sexual selection is that females are polyandrous and their offspring are commonly sired by more than a single male. We now have large-scale evidence from natural populations to be able to verify this assumption. Although we concur that polyandry is a generally common and ubiquitous phenomenon, we emphasise that it remains variable. In particular, the persistence of single paternity, both within and between populations, requires more careful consideration. We also explore an intriguing relation of polyandry with latitude. Several recent large-scale analyses of the relations between key population fitness variables, such as heterozygosity, effective population size (Ne), and inbreeding coefficients, make it possible to examine the global effects of polyandry on population fitness for the first time.
Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK.
Michelle L
ML
Taylor
Institute of Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK.
Tom A R
TA
Price
Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK. Electronic address: N.Wedell@exeter.ac.uk.
Nina
N
Wedell
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D005843:Geography; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal
heterozygosity; latitude; monandry; polyandry; population fitness; sperm competition