Definition
Post-copulatory scenario in which the sperm of males of polygamous species competes within the female genital tract to fertilize the oocyte.
Introduction
In many non-primate mammalian species, females may mate with more than one male. According to the sperm competition theory, the reproductive success of the males of such species depends on both the magnitude of inter-male rivalry and covert sperm competition. When the ejaculates of two or more males must compete to fertilize a set of ova, the quality of the sperm they carry becomes of great importance. The transfer of large numbers of spermatozoa in competitive situations is an effective strategy; males that transfer more sperm per ejaculate, or who copulate more often, are more likely to sire offspring. Usually, males of polygamous species have large testes and produce ejaculates with many sperm cells....
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References
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Moreno, J.S. (2016). Non-Primate Mammal Sperm Competition. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1950-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1950-1
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