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.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Evolutionary biology

Scramble for the eggs

Nature volume 426, pages 22–23 (2003)Cite this article

Copulating cockerels can, it seems, tailor their ejaculate to several factors: the degree of male competition, whether they have mated with the female before, and the female's reproductive 'value'.

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

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

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

References

  1. Parker, G. A. Biol. Rev. 45, 525–567 (1970).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Birkhead, T. R. & Møller, A. P. Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection (Academic, London, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gage, M. J. G. & Morrow, E. H. Curr. Biol. 13, 754–757 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Pizzari, T., Cornwallis, C. K., Løvlie, H., Jakobsson, S. & Birkhead, T. R. Nature 426, 70–74 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Setchell, B. P. in Reproduction in Mammals Vol. 1, Germ Cells and Fertilization (eds Austin, C. R. & Short, R. V.) 63–101 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Olsson, M., Madsen, T. & Shine, R. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 264, 455–459 (1997).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Parker, G. A., Ball, M. A., Stockley, P. & Gage, M. J. G. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 264, 1793–1802 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Parker, G. A., Ball, M. A., Stockley, P. & Gage, M. J. G. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 263, 1291–1297 (1996).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Gage, M. J. G. Anim. Behav. 42, 1036–1037 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wedell, N., Gage, M. J. G. & Parker, G. A. Trends Ecol. Evol. 17, 313–320 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Martin, O. Y. & Hosken, D. J. Anim. Behav. 63, 541–546 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Pilastro, A., Scaggiante, M. & Rasotto, M. B. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99, 9913–9915 (2002).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wilson, J. R., Kuehn, R. E. & Beach, F. A. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 56, 636–644 (1963).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Dewsbury, D. A. Psychol. Bull. 89, 464–482 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Pound, N. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 266, 1755–1758 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    Matthew J. G. Gage

Authors
  1. Matthew J. G. Gage
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gage, M. Scramble for the eggs. Nature 426, 22–23 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/426022a

Download citation

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/426022a

This article is cited by

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