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Polygyny (/ p ə ˈ l ɪ dʒ ɪ n i /; from Neo-Greek πολυγυνία, from πολύ-(polú-) 'many' and γυνή (gunḗ) 'woman, wife') [1] is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
Polygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season. [1] In sexually reproducing diploid animals, different mating strategies are employed by males and females, because the cost of gamete production is lower for males than it is for females. [2]
Polygyny threshold model graph. The polygyny threshold model is an evolutionary explanation of polygyny, the mating of one male of a species with more than one female. The model shows how females may gain a higher level of biological fitness by mating with a male who already has a mate. The female makes this choice despite other surrounding ...
A criticism against polygyny is that in almost all cultures and religious communities that practice it, polygyny is the only form of polygamy that is allowed; and, as such, this violates modern principles of equality between men and women, especially as in many such places females having multiple partners is violently punished through honor ...
With respect to animals, the term describes which males and females mate under which circumstances. Recognised systems include monogamy , polygamy (which includes polygyny , polyandry , and polygynandry ), and promiscuity , all of which lead to different mate choice outcomes and thus these systems affect how sexual selection works in the ...
The word polygyny is often used in reference to humans but it is observed in many animals such as Gorillas, Tigers, Lions, Elk, and Bison. Males compete against each other to be able to gain exclusive mating access to a group of females. Competition between males is often violent and bloody.
Females are larger in many species of insects, many spiders, many fish, many reptiles, owls, birds of prey and certain mammals such as the spotted hyena, and baleen whales such as blue whale. As an example, in some species, females are sedentary, and so males must search for them.
A study on the association of alpha males and females during the non-breeding season in wild Capuchin monkeys examined whether alpha males are the preferred mate for females and, secondly, whether female-alpha status and relationship to the alpha-male can be explained through the individual characteristics and or social network of the female. [4]