Ejaculate expenditure strategies in a polygynandrous bird, the red junglefowl, Gallus gallus

Thesis

Plastic strategies of ejaculate expenditure are a fundamental aspect of male reproductive fitness, especially in polygynandrous species where multiple mating opportunities expose males to the risk of sperm depletion, and sperm competition favours large, high-quality ejaculates. Little however remains known about factors that modulate ejaculate expenditure behaviour. In this thesis, I explored how four different factors affect male ejaculate expenditure plasticity in the polygynandrous red ...

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Authors: Wang, Y

• Alternative title: Mechanisms of ejaculate expenditure in a polyandrous bird
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-aeok80kaa
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: social status; female novelty; female quality; cognitive mechanism; sperm allocation strategy; red junglefowl; experience; sexual selection
• Subjects: Evolutionary biology; Sexual selection; Behavioural biology; Ecology