SEXUAL COMPETITION AMONG FEMALES - WHAT CAUSES COURTSHIP-ROLE REVERSAL

In most animals, males are the competitive sex whereas females are typically non-competitive and choosy of mates. In a variety of taxa, certain species (or populations within species) show a reversal in these typical courtship roles. Recent research with these organisms supports a central tenet of sexual selection theory: that it is the relative investment of the sexes in offspring that controls the number of males and females available for mating, and thus is the main determinant of the degree of sexual competition in each sex.