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Polyandry: What is the point?
I'm doing research for an article on mating systems in birds. Although most birds are monogamous (for life, or for the breeding season), many are polygynous (male mating with several females) and some are polyandrous (female mating with several males).
In monogamous species, almost everyone mates, and gene diversity is maintained. In polygynous species, only the fittest males mate, thus increasing male fitness, but with the risk of a decrease in gene diversity. More or less the same applies - with gender reversal - in polyandrous species, but there is a difference: Males have an unlimited amount of sperm to distribute, whereas females invest in a limited number of rather large, costly eggs. Why, then, are some bird species polyandrous?
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