Mates with Benefits: When and How Sexual Cannibalism Is Adaptive

Marlene Zuk

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.017

Mates with Benefits: When and How Sexual Cannibalism Is Adaptive

Curr Biol. 2016 Dec 5;26(23):R1230-R1232. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.017.

Author

Marlene Zuk¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA. Electronic address: mzuk@umn.edu.

PMID: 27923131
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.017

Abstract

Sexual cannibalism occurs in several arthropod taxa, but its evolutionary significance has long been debated. A new study shows how females that eat their mates benefit in ways that go well beyond caloric nutrition.

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MeSH terms

Animals
Arthropods / physiology*
Biological Evolution
Cannibalism*
Ecosystem
Female
Male
Sexual Behavior, Animal / physiology*