Male care and life history traits in mammals.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: West HER
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4911630 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Male care and life history traits in mammals.
West Hannah E R HER Capellini Isabella I
Nature communications 20160614
Male care has energetic and opportunity costs, and is more likely to evolve when males gain greater certainty of paternity or when future mating opportunities are scarce. However, little is known about the substantial benefits that males may provide to females and offspring. Using phylogenetic comparative methods and a sample of over 500 mammalian species, we show that mammals in which males carry the offspring have shorter lactation periods, which leads to more frequent breeding events. Provisi ...[more]
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