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. 2020 Dec 7;375(1813):20200060.
doi: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0060. Epub 2020 Oct 19.

Fifty years of sperm competition: the structure of a scientific revolution

Leigh W Simmons  1 , Nina Wedell  2
Affiliations

Fifty years of sperm competition: the structure of a scientific revolution

Leigh W Simmons et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. .
No abstract available

Keywords: cryptic female choice; polyandry; postmating sexual selection; sexual conflict.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare we have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The rise of Parkerian sexual selection. (1) Parker [2] publishes his review of sperm competition and its evolutionary consequences in the insects. (2) Parker et al. [15] show how sperm competition can drive the evolution of anisogamy. (3) Waage [16] discovers the dual function of the damselfly penis, Smith [17] documents the role of sperm precedence in paternally caring waterbugs, Short [18] proposes that testis size may be indicative of sperm competition and Sivinski [19] argues that sperm competition may be responsible for rapid divergent evolution of sperm form and function. (4) Thornhill [20] formally defines the process of cryptic female choice, and with Alcock publishes The evolution of insect mating systems in which sperm competition and cryptic female choice in insects are reviewed [21]. (5) Smith's edited book provides a taxonomic overview of sperm competition in the evolution of animal mating systems more generally [22]. (6) Eberhard [23] publishes his volume on the evolution of animal genitalia and Pennington [24] documents sperm limitation in broadcast spawners. (7) DNA fingerprinting reveals sperm competition in birds [25,26]. (8) Sperm competition is identified as a postmating pre-zygotic barrier to hybridization [27]. (9) Parker [28,29] develops his sperm competition games. (10) Gage shows how males strategically adjust the number of sperm relative to sperm competition risk [30,31]. (11) Birkhead & Møller's [32] volume on sperm competition in birds is published; the biennial Biology of Sperm meetings begin. (12) Seminal fluid proteins are found to reduce female lifespan in Drosophila [33]. (13) Antagonistic coevolution of male harm and female resistance to harm are demonstrated in Drosophila [34]; Eberhard [35] compiles evidence for mechanisms of cryptic female choice. (14) Birkhead & Møller [36] publish their edited taxonomic overview of sperm competition and sexual selection. (15) First evidence emerges that the evolution of reproductive proteins was driven by sperm competition [37]. (16) Simmons's synthesis of insect sperm competition research is published [38]. (17) Birkhead, Hosken & Pitnick (eds) release Sperm biology: an evolutionary perspective, with collected contributions from the biennial Biology of Sperm meeting [39]; trade-offs between premating weapons of sexual selection and sperm production are demonstrated [40]. (18) First theoretical models of strategic allocation to seminal fluid are published [41]. (19) Parker [42] presents his unifying concept of the sexual cascade.
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References

    1. Kuhn TS. 1970. The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
    1. Parker GA. 1970. Sperm competition and its evolutionary consequences in the insects. Biol. Rev. 45, 525–567. (10.1111/j.1469-185X.1970.tb01176.x) - DOI
    1. Darwin C. 1871. The descent of Man and selection in relation to Sex. London, UK: John Murray.
    1. Birkhead TR. 2010. How stupid not to have thought of that: post-copulatory sexual selection. J. Zool. 281, 78–93. (10.1111/j.1469-7998.2010.00701.x) - DOI
    1. Evans JP, Pilastro A. 2011. Postcopulatory sexual selection. In Ecology and evolution of poeciliid fishes (eds Evans JP, Pilastro A, Schlupp I), pp. 197–208. Chicago, IL: Chicago University Press.

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