Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are preferred over microsatellite markers in many evolutionary studies, but have only recently been applied to studies of parentage. Evaluations of SNPs and microsatellites for assigning ...

Many studies of sexual selection assume that individuals have equal mating opportunities and that differences in mating success result from variation in sexual traits. However, the inability of sexual traits to explain ...

Because elevated glucocorticoid levels can impair reproduction, populations or species that engage in particularly valuable reproductive attempts may down-regulate the glucocorticoid stress response during reproduction ...

Sex allocation theory predicts that females should bias their offspring sex ratios when the fitness benefits of producing sons or daughters differ depending on rearing environment. The Trivers-Willard hypothesis proposes ...

An emerging question in animal behaviour is whether and how behavioural plasticity will enable organisms to adjust to human-induced, rapid environmental changes that affect breeding conditions. Adaptive behavioural plasticity ...

In cooperatively breeding animals, genetic relatedness among group members often determines the extent of reproductive sharing, cooperation and competition within a group. Studies of species for which cooperative behaviour ...