Definition
When sperm from two or more males simultaneously occupy one female’s reproductive tract and compete to fertilize ova, this is an occurrence known as sperm competition (Parker 1970). In species practicing social monogamy yet also engaging in extra-pair copulations, sperm competition can lead to unknowingly investing heavily into genetically unrelated offspring (cuckoldry) (Trivers 1972). Sperm competition exists among many species, and it seems to be a recurrent issue that human males face as Cerda-Flores and colleagues (1999) reported that in certain populations, 20% of children are genetically unrelated to the man socially regarded as their father. However, other research suggests much lower rates of nonpaternity, as in a meta-analysis that reported a rate of 3.1% across 32 studies (Voracek et al. 2008).
Sperm Competition in Nonhuman Species
Sperm competition has been observed in insects, birds,...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Baker, R. R., & Bellis, M. A. (1993). Human sperm competition: Ejaculate adjustment by males and the function of masturbation. Animal Behaviour, 46, 861–885. doi:10.1006/anbe.1993.1271.
Cerda-Flores, R. M., Barton, S. A., Marty-Gonzalez, L. F., Rivas, F., & Chakraborty, R. (1999). Estimation of nonpaternity in the Mexican population of Nuevo Leon: A validation study with blood group markers. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 109, 281–293. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199907)109:3<281::AID-AJPA1>3.0.CO.
Kilgallon, S. J., & Simmons, L. W. (2005). Image content influences men’s semen quality. Biology Letters, 1, 253–255. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2005.0324.
Parker, G. A. (1970). Sperm competition and its evolutionary effect on copula duration in the fly <i> Scatophaga stercoraria</i> Journal of Insect Physiology, 16, 1301–1328. doi:10.1016/0022-1910(70)90131-9.
Price, J. H., & Miller, P. A. (1984). Sexual fantasies of black and of white college students. Psychological Reports, 54, 1007–1014. doi:10.2466/pr0.1984.54.3.1007.
Shackelford, T. K., LeBlanc, G. J., Weekes-Shackelford, V. A., Bleske-Rechek, A. L., Euler, H. A., & Hoier, S. (2002). Psychological adaptation to human sperm competition. Evolution and Human Behavior, 23, 123–138. doi:10.1016/S1090-5138(01)00090-3.
Shackelford, T. K., Goetz, A. T., LaMunyon, C. W., Pham, M. N., & Pound, N. (2015). Human sperm competition. In D. Buss (Ed.), The handbook of evolutionary psychology (2nd ed., pp. 427–443). New York: Wiley.
Smith, R. L. (1984). Human sperm competition. In R. L. Smith (Ed.), Sperm competition and the evolution of animal mating systems (pp. 601–660). New York: Academic.
Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In B. Campbell (Ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man (pp. 1871–1971). Chicago: Aldine.
Voracek, M., Haubner, T., & Fisher, M. L. (2008). Recent decline in nonpaternity rates: A cross-temporal meta-analysis. Psychological Reports, 103, 799–811. doi:10.2466/PR0.103.7.799-811.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG (outside the USA)
About this entry
Cite this entry
DeLecce, T. (2016). Sperm Competition. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1269-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1269-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences