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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.
Polygyny is associated with an increased sharing of subsistence provided by women. This is consistent with the theory that if women raise the children alone, men can concentrate on the mating effort. Polygyny is also associated with greater environmental variability in the form of variability of rainfall. This may increase the differences in ...
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 ...
The female-biased sexual size dimorphism observed in many taxa evolved despite intense male-male competition for mates. [28] In Osmia rufa, for example, the female is larger/broader than males, with males being 8–10 mm in size and females being 10–12 mm in size. [29] In the hackberry emperor females are similarly larger than males. [30]
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]
Other animal activities may be misinterpreted due to the frequency and context in which animals perform the behaviour. For example, domestic ruminants display behaviours such as mounting and head-butting. This often occurs when the animals are establishing dominance relationships and are not necessarily sexually motivated.
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]
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 ...