Unifying cornerstones of sexual selection: operational sex ratio, Bateman gradient and the scope for competitive investment (Ecology Letters)
challenges the common assumption that
a male-biased sex ratio always leads to stronger sexual selection on men, point
out ambiguity in the use of the term competition ("The sex that
experiences stronger competition /in the mating pool/ does not invariably
invest more in competitive traits, because more profitable routes to fitness
than increased mating success can differ between the sexes" - for
instance, males may invest more in providing for offspring
and less in mate competition if the chance of ever mating again is small), and
elegantly introduce the "scope for competitive investment" for
assessing when and how traits that improve mating rates are affected by the
OSR. Add to this the literary qualities of the subtitles, and enjoy.