Superior stimulation of female fecundity by subordinate males provides a mechanism for telegony.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Pascoal S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6121788 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Superior stimulation of female fecundity by subordinate males provides a mechanism for telegony.
Pascoal Sonia S Jarrett Benjamin J M BJM Evans Emma E Kilner Rebecca M RM
Evolution letters 20180317 2
When females mate promiscuously, rival males compete to fertilise the ova. In theory, a male can increase his success at siring offspring by inducing the female to lay more eggs, as well as by producing more competitive sperm. Here we report that the evolutionary consequences of fecundity stimulation extend beyond rival males, by experimentally uncovering effects on offspring. With experiments on the burying beetle <i>Nicrophorus vespilloides</i>, we show that smaller subordinate males are bette ...[more]
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