Explanations for the existence of alternative male mating tactics focus primarily on male--male competition. Mating systems, however, are composed of interactions both within and between the sexes, and the role of female behavior in shaping male mating tactics should not be overlooked. By using...

Experimental data suggest, and theoretical models typically assume, that males of many fruit flies (Drosophila spp) are at least partially indiscriminate while searching for mates, and that it is mostly the females who exert selective mate choice, which can lead to incipient speciation. Evidence...

Hormones play a pivotal role in reproductive behavior and have been implicated in mediating mate choice decisions. Here we asked whether the differences in female reproductive state dependent on changes in hormone levels correspond to changes in female affiliation with males. In the African...

The evolutionary dynamic of courtship signaling systems is driven by the interaction between male trait distributions and female preferences. This interaction is complex because females may choose mates based on multiple components of male signals, and female preference functions may vary...

The relative importance of direct and indirect benefits models of mate choice is a central question in sexual selection, but separating the two models is very difficult because high quality males often provide both better direct benefits and better genes. In tree crickets, Oecanthus nigricornis,...

Males of many species are characterized by alternative mating tactics. In bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), some males delay maturation and become "parentals" while other males mature precociously and become "cuckolders." Parentals use an overt, territorial mating tactic, defending a nest...

Hunting, particularly when it involves large game that is extensively shared, has been suggested to serve as a form of costly signaling by hunters, serving to attract mates and allies or to deter competitors. Empirical evidence presented elsewhere on turtle hunting practiced by Meriam people of...

We propose a new, evolutionary, game-theoretic model of conditional human mating strategies that integrates currently disconnected bodies of data into a single mathematically-explicit theory of human mating transactions. The model focuses on the problem of how much resource a male must provide...

Paternity confusion is often suggested as the benefit that female mammals accrue by mating with multiple males, but genetic advantages are also possible. Microsatellite-based parentage analyses demonstrate that female banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) commonly mate with more...

Disease resistance is not determined by any single immune component. Nevertheless, female choice for individual immune components could produce more disease-resistant offspring. Using a mathematical model, we tested whether female choice for male immune responsiveness was maintained or lost in...