MECHANISMS OF SPERM COMPETITION

Sperm competition occurs when two (or more) males inseminate a single female during a reproductive cycle, but what determines which one of them will fertilize her eggs? Is it simply a lottery, or are there some more complex rules by which matings are translated into offspring? Several studies covering various animal groups have shown that mating order effects are often important in determining paternity patterns: in animals as different as insects and birds, the sperm from the last male to mate often has precedence over previously introduced sperm. Recently, behavioural ecologists and physiologists have started to examine the mechanisms by which sperm precedence is achieved. The study of sperm competition mechanisms complements the more behavioural studies, and a combination of the two approaches used on single species should prove to be particularly rewarding. © 1990.