Open AccessThe Adaptive Function of Masturbation in a Promiscuous African Ground Squirrel
Author(s) -
Jane M. Waterman
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0013060
Subject(s) - sperm competition , biology , mating , sexual selection , ground squirrel , population , sperm , animal sexual behaviour , zoology , competition (biology) , estrous cycle , sexual conflict , mate choice , fertility , ecology , demography , endocrinology , genetics , sociology , thermoregulation
Studies of animal mating systems increasingly emphasize female multiple mating and cryptic sexual selection, particularly sperm competition. Males under intense sperm competition may manipulate sperm quantity and quality through masturbation, which could waste sperm and decrease fertility. I examined the factors influencing masturbation by male Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris) in light of a number of functional hypotheses.
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