How Males Can Gain by Harming Their Mates: Sexual Conflict, Seminal Toxins, and the Cost of Mating

摘要: We suggest that damaging mating tactics, such as physical aggression, the evolution of genital barbs and spines, transfer seminal toxins may serve a general means by which males can induce females to avoid or delay remating. Provided cumulative damage has an accelerating impact on fitness, female who already been harmed previous partner(s) do best refrain from remating suffering still further damage. Consequently, male gain through imposition costs, even though this reduce fitness because doing so he minimizes chances his mate will copulate again. develop game theoretical model possibility, focusing toxin illustrative example. show toxicity inhibiting is phenotypically stable over broad range conditions (although, under some circumstances, it be necessary invoke other selective pressures account for initial toxicity). The predicts should more common (and involve greater levels toxicity) in species with last-male advantage; also most likely where poison inflicts strongly accelerating, dose-dependent costs females.