Abstract
SEXUAL reproduction can no longer be regarded as a cooperative venture in which males and females are selected to achieve the same goals. The optimal reproductive strategy for a male is often very different from that for a female1,2. We report here that, in the wild, toads (Bufo bufo) do not pair up at random, that this comes about through male–male competition probably influenced by the behaviour of the female and that mating involves a compromise between different male and female optima.
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DAVIES, N., HALLIDAY, T. Optimal mate selection in the toad Bufo bufo. Nature 269, 56–58 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/269056a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/269056a0
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