Sexual conflict

An evolutionary conflict in which a trait that increases reproductive success in one sex reduces the fitness of the other. It can occur between mates or between males competing for access to mates.

Sexual antagonistic coevolution: Reciprocal evolutionary change in which adaptations in one sex select for counteradaptations in the other. Repeated male–female adaptation and counteradaptation is a central way sexual conflict unfolds.
Anisogamy: A reproductive system in which the sexes produce gametes of different sizes. Different gamete sizes contribute to divergent reproductive strategies that can create conflict.
Traumatic insemination: Mating in which a male pierces a female’s body wall to transfer sperm. Bedbugs provide a striking case where male reproductive gains impose direct female injury.
Sexual dimorphism in lifespan: A difference between males and females in average lifespan within a species. Conflict-driven reproductive effort can contribute to sex differences in survival.
Sexual conflict resolution: Evolutionary change that reduces disagreement between the reproductive interests of the sexes. The extent to which conflict diminishes, persists, or shifts remains a central question.
Interlocus sexual conflict: Sexual conflict caused by interacting genes at different loci in males and females. It explains how a trait favored in one sex can select for a countertrait in the other.
Sexual selection: Selection arising from differences in access to mates and success in fertilization. It shapes mating traits and competition, often setting the conditions for sexual conflict.
Sexual cannibalism: A mating-related behavior in which one animal consumes its potential or actual mate. In some species, mating-related benefits and risks differ sharply between sexes.
Reproductive harm: A reduction in an individual’s survival or future reproduction caused by mating or reproductive interactions. It captures costs imposed when one sex’s reproductive strategy burdens the other.
Sexual conflict over mating rate: Disagreement between sexes over how frequently mating should occur. Mating frequency is measurable, yet its costs and benefits can vary across species and contexts.

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