Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Parental investment, mate desertion and a fallacy

Nature volume 262, pages 131–133 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

TRIVERS1 defines parental investment as “any investment by the parent in an individual offspring that increases the offspring's chance of surviving … at the cost of the parent's ability to invest in other offspring”. He has cleverly used this definition to elucidate many outstanding problems in social ethology1–3. But one of his most appealing usages of it is fallacious.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Trivers, R. L., in Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man (edit. by B. Campbell) (Aldine, Chicago, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Trivers, R. L., Am. Zool., 14, 249–264 (1974).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Trivers, R. L., and Hare, H., Science, 191, 249–263 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wilson, E. O., Sociobiology: the New Synthesis (Harvard, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Hamilton, W. D., J. theor. Biol., 7, 1–52 (1964).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Maynard Smith, J., On Evolution (Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Maynard Smith, J., and Price, G. R., Nature, 246, 15–18 (1973).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Maynard Smith, J., and Parker, G. A., Anim. Behav., 24, 159–175 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dawkins, R., The Selfish Gene (Oxford University Press, in the press).

  10. Breder, C. M., and Rosen, D. E., Modes of Reproduction in Fishes (Natural History Press, New York, 1966).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK

    R. DAWKINS & T. R. CARLISLE

Authors
  1. R. DAWKINS
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. R. CARLISLE
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

DAWKINS, R., CARLISLE, T. Parental investment, mate desertion and a fallacy. Nature 262, 131–133 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/262131a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/262131a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing