Mate Choice
The "good sperm hypothesis" is very common in polyandrous mating systems. The "good sperm hypothesis" suggests that a male's genetic makeup will determine the level of his competitiveness in sperm competition. When a male has "good sperm" he is able to father more viable offspring than males that do not have the "good sperm" genes. Females may select males that have these superior "good sperm" genes because it means that their offspring will be more viable and will inherit the "good sperm" genes which will increase their fitness levels when their sperm competes.
Read more about this topic: Sperm Competition
Famous quotes containing the words mate and/or choice:
“A master of men was the Goodly Fere,
A mate of the wind and sea,
If they think they ha slain our Goodly Fere
They are fools eternally.
I ha seen him eat o the honey-comb
Sin they nailed him to the tree.”
—Ezra Pound (18851972)
“... the black girls didnt get these pills because their black ministers were up on the pulpit saying that birth control pills were black genocide. What Im saying is that black men have exploited black women.... They didnt want them to have any choice about their reproductive health. And if you cant control your reproduction, you cant control your life.”
—Joycelyn Elders (b. 1933)