MATING SYSTEMS

How many males, how many females?

• monogamy--one male, one female, often pair bonded
  • mate guarding
  • copulatory plugs
  • prolonged copulation
  • aggressive behavior mate assistance
  • serial monogamy
• polygyny--one male, many females
• scramble competition polygyny (term coined by Thornhill and Alcock (1983)
• leks
• female defense polygyny
• resource defense polygyny (male territoriality centered on a resource needed for breeding success)
• polyandry
• forced copulations as a reproductive strategy

Female mate choice

peacock's tail.

"good genes",

the assessment value of the trait will be lost.

How might honest signals of good genes evolve?

Male mate choice

• the male has substantial involvement in parental care
• females vary greatly in quality as mates or possess territories of varying quality
• the mating system is monogamous