Polygyny
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Scan day: 17 February 2014 UTC
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Description: Most birds are monogamous, but in some species the occurrence of polygyny, where one male mates with more than one female, is related to high-quality territories with an abundance of resources.
olygyny, where one male mates with more than one female while each female mates with only one male, is thought to be the fundamental mating system of animals. The reason is straightforward. By definition, the sex that produces the larger reproductive cells (eggs) is the female, and the one that produces the smaller (sperm) is the male. Males therefore make a smaller investment in the embryos that result from the fusion of egg and sperm cells. The difference is especially pronounced in birds, since the sperm is microscopic and the egg (relatively) gigantic. The male thus puts proportionately little effort into any single embryo, while the female has a great stake in each one, since she can produce relatively few eggs in her lifetime. Females must therefore exercise care in choosing the fathers of their limited number of young. It would seem, in contrast, that male birds should be much less choosy and attempt to have as many mates as possible, since evolution favors behavior that leads to leaving a maximum number of offspring. A male that mates with a weak or otherwise unfit female loses a small part of his reproductive potential; a female making a similar mistake may sacrifice all or almost all of hers.
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| Page title: | Polygyny |
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