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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Mating Systems, Copulatory Organ Size, And Scaling Relationship In Mollies (Poecilia Spp.), Martha Divver, Eric T. Schultz
Mating Systems, Copulatory Organ Size, And Scaling Relationship In Mollies (Poecilia Spp.), Martha Divver, Eric T. Schultz
EEB Articles
Copulatory organs rapidly evolve and are subject to complex selective pressures affecting mating success. One feature of copulatory organs that is subject to such selective pressures is size. Benefits of longer organs may include greater signal effectiveness in courtship and longer ‘reach’ when attempting copulations with evasive females. Costs of longer organs may include impaired locomotion, increased energetic cost or reduced mechanical compatibility with female genitalia. The optimal size for a copulatory organ may vary with mating behavior. The objective of this study is to examine among-species variability in copulatory organ size, body size and the relationship between copulatory organ …