Summary: Persaud & Galef (2005)

Generally, females invest more in their offspring than males, therefore they should be more choosy when selecting mates. Furthermore, in species where sexual coercion occurs, females may exert an influence on paternity by selectively voiding or retaining sperm of reproductive partners, which might affect their partner's reproductive success. This is known as postcopulatory or cryptic mate choice. Persaud & Galef (2005) tested whether male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) that are preferred by females have higher reproductive success (measured by likelihood of egg fertilization) than males that are not preferred by females. They also tested whether a male's reproductive success could be increased if a female observed him courting and mating with another female. They found that males that are preferred by females have a greater likelihood of fertilizing her eggs and that a female's preference could be enhanced by her observations of male mating behaviour. In addition, choosing a male that had courted and mated previously increased his likelihood of successfully fertilizing another female's eggs. Furthermore, females can identify males that are more likely to inseminate them and can exert a degree of control over which male will fertilize her eggs, thereby influencing both paternity and a male's reproductive success. The results suggest that female Japanese quail can exercise postcopulatory mate choice and that female preference can directly or indirectly affect a male's fertilization success.