Abstract
When there is a variation in the quality of males in a population, multiple mating can lead to an increase in the genetic fitness of a female by reducing the variance of the progeny number. The extent of selective advantage obtainable by this process is investigated for a population subdivided into structured demes. It is seen that for a wide range of model parameters (deme size, distribution of male quality, local resource level), multiple mating leads to a considerable increase in the fitness. Frequency-dependent selection or a stable coexistence between polyandry and monandry can also result when the possible costs involved in multiple mating are taken into account.
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Joshi, N.V. Evolution of polyandry by reduction in progeny number variance in structured populations. J. Genet. 67, 161–171 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02927827
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02927827