Sexy Son Hypothesis - Sexual Conflict

Sexual Conflict

Sexual conflict refers to the conflicting goals of breeding males and females. It describes the diverging interests of males and females in optimizing their fitness. From the viewpoint of any one partner, the best outcome would be for the partner's mate to care for the young, thus freeing up his or her own resources (e.g., time and energy) that s/he - but typically he - can invest in further sex that may create additional offspring. In polygynous mating systems, sexual conflict means the optimization of male reproductive success by having mated with multiple females, even though the reproductive success of a polygynously mated female is thereby reduced.Such can be the case for the Guianan Cock-of-the-rocks, whose male members spend a majority of their time and energy into maintaining their plumage and attempting to seek the most matings. Females on the other hand, spend their time building and maintaining their nest where they will lay their eggs and raise the young.