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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–7Cite as

Sperm Competition - Evidence in Nonhumans

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Synonyms

Post-copulatory Sexual Selection; Sexual promiscuity; Sperm competition

Definition

Sperm competition arises when the sperm of two or more males compete to fertilize a given set of ova. This broad definition includes both competition between sperm of two or more males within the body of a single female (internal fertilizers) and processes observed when fertilization takes place outside the female body (external fertilizers), as in most bony fishes or amphibians (Parker 1998). It is worth noting that, in a broader sense, gamete competition occurs in most sexually reproducing organisms. In plants, for example, pollen (male gametes) of several individuals may compete to fertilize the same set of female gametes which, in principle, follows the classic sperm competition scenario described in animals (Delph and Havens 1998).

Introduction

The term “sperm competition” was first defined by Geoffrey Parker based on his seminal work on mating strategies in Scatophaga flies (Parker 1970)....

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic

    Tomáš Albrecht

  2. Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

    Tomáš Albrecht

Authors
  1. Tomáš Albrecht
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Correspondence to Tomáš Albrecht .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, 492 Bluemont Hall, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Gary L Brase

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Albrecht, T. (2017). Sperm Competition - Evidence in Nonhumans. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1947-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1947-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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