Abstract
Male insects of many species donate nutrients to their females at mating, and the females can use these nutrients for egg production and somatic maintenance. These male-derived nutrients represent male investment in reproduction. The relative investment by each sex in reproduction has been postulated to be a determinant of the mating system and possible operation of sexual selection. However, the effect of male nutrient donations on female fitness is not well understood. I examine the effect on female fitness of male nutrients donated at mating in terms of the role of male nutrients in the female's nutrient budget for egg production. Nonnutritional constraints on total egg mass, the timing of egg production, the quality and quantity of adult female feeding, and alternative functions of male nutrient donations are incorporated into a model describing the role of male-derived nutrients. The model predicts the conditions under which changes in the availability of male-derived nutrients to individual females ...
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