Abstract
Molluscs are numerically the second largest phylum in the animal kingdom with more than 1, 20,000 living species, which are divided into eight classes. Many species are promiscuous and there are different forms of sperm storage, providing the potential for sperm competition. This chapter presents different lines of evidence which suggest that sperm competition might be important in the evolution of the reproductive behavior in some groups of molluscs. It also shows that there are huge gaps in our understanding of the reproductive behavior of molluscs. However, the significance of molluscs' structure with respect to sexual selection and sperm competition is, in most cases, unclear. Several mollusc species are well-suited for studies on sperm competition. Moreover, studies on sperm competition in gastropods and cephalopods proved to be particularly rewarding. Both gastropods and cephalopods are unique because of their several important features. Their elaborate mating behavior may rival the complexity of those of various vertebrates. Sperm selection occurs in both groups. This provides a unique possibility of female choice in sperm competition. Furthermore, the adaptive significance of sperm polymorphism is still not known and needs to be assessed.
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