Definition
Sperm competition arises when the sperm of two or more males compete to fertilize a given set of ova. This broad definition includes both competition between sperm of two or more males within the body of a single female (internal fertilizers) and processes observed when fertilization takes place outside the female body (external fertilizers), as in most bony fishes or amphibians (Parker 1998). It is worth noting that, in a broader sense, gamete competition occurs in most sexually reproducing organisms. In plants, for example, pollen (male gametes) of several individuals may compete to fertilize the same set of female gametes which, in principle, follows the classic sperm competition scenario described in animals (Delph and Havens 1998).
Introduction
The term “sperm competition” was first defined by Geoffrey Parker based on his seminal work on mating strategies in Scatophaga flies (Parker 1970)....
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References
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Albrecht, T. (2017). Sperm Competition - Evidence in Nonhumans. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1947-1
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