Can voluntary nutritional gifts in seminal flow evolve?

• Published in: Journal of ethology Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 9 - 15
• Main Authors: Kura, T., Yoda, K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2001
• ISSN: 0289-0771; 1439-5444
• DOI: 10.1007/s101640170011

In many species that have internal fertilization, seminal flow includes various elements and materials in addition to the fertilizing sperm. The roles of these components are unknown. One hypothesis is that they are nutritional gifts to the female as a paternal investment. We made game theoretical models from the point of view of sperm competition among males and examined this hypothesis. The evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) of the models showed that (1) when multiple mating in the female is relatively low, gifts in seminal flow or other types of gift may evolve, at least, a male does not resist a female digesting his sperm; and (2) the ratio of nutritional gift rapidly decreases to zero with the probability or frequency of multiple mating in the female. Hence, we concluded that nutritional gifts in seminal flow can exist only in species in which sperm competition among males is rare. Furthermore, we concluded that if an element or material eminently decreases when sperm competition becomes intense, it may be a gift as a paternal investment; if not, other hypotheses concerned with more agonistic roles are more feasible.