WHY DO FEMALES COPULATE REPEATEDLY WITH ONE MALE

For most animals, a small number of copulations is sufficient to fertilize all the eggs that a female will lay at any one time. However, in some species a very high frequency of mating occurs, indicating that individuals copulate many more times than are necessary for fertilization. If copulation behaviour carries costs, then the question arises as to how individuals of both sexes benefit from repeated matings with a single partner. For a male, a high frequency of copulation appears to be advantageous in securing or assuring paternity when his sperm is in competition with those of another male. Since copulation is likely to be as costly for females as it is for males, it is necessary to seek adaptive explanations from the female perspective. Attention is now being focused on why females should copulate repeatedly with a single male.