Bio 375 : Exercise 11

Below is an Evolutionary Stable Strategy analysis of parental care by males and females, where w is female clutch or brood size when she cares, W is female total clutch or brood size when she deserts, S0, S1, and S2 are the survival of offspring with zero, one, and two parents providing care, and p is the chance a male can find a new mate if he doesn't care.

A) What conditions must be met for female only care (polygyny) to be stable?

B) In mammals, female only care is the most common situation. Using the variables in the ESS analysis above, explain why that might be. Describe any empirical examples that seem relevant.