Adjustment of Sperm Allocation Under High Risk of Sperm Competition Across Taxa: A Meta-Analysis
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Publication Date
5-13-2011
Keywords
meta-analysis, number of offspring, phylogeny, sperm allocation, sperm competition, sperm investment
Abstract
Sperm competition theory predicts that under high risk of sperm competition, males will increase the number of sperm that they allocate to a female. This prediction has been supported by some experimental studies but not by others. Here, I conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether the increase in sperm allocation under high risk of sperm competition is a generalized response across taxa. I collected data from 39 studies and 37 species. Across taxa, males under a high risk of sperm competition respond by increasing their sperm allocation (mean effect size = 0.32). Number of offspring did not explain a significant portion of the variation in effect sizes. A traditional meta-analysis (i.e. without phylogenetic information) described the variation among effect sizes better than a meta-analysis that incorporates the phylogenetic relationships among species, suggesting that the increase in sperm allocation under high risk of sperm competition is similarly prevalent across taxa.
Recommended Citation
delBarco-Trillo, Javier, "Adjustment of Sperm Allocation Under High Risk of Sperm Competition Across Taxa: A Meta-Analysis" (2011). Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences. 184.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/fpbiosci/184
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02293.x
Comments
This article was originally published as delBarco-Trillo, J. (2011) Adjustment of sperm allocation under high risk of sperm competition across taxa: a meta-analysis. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 24: 1706-1714. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02293.x.