Sexual conflict, sex allocation and the genetic system

Abstract

Decisions over what sex ratio to produce can have far-reaching evolutionary consequences, for both offspring and parents. However, the extent to which males and females come into evolutionary conflict over aspects of sex allocation depends on the genetic system: when genes are passed to the next generation unequally by the two sexes (as in haplodiploidy, for example), this biased transmission can facilitate a range of conflicts not seen in diploids. However, much less attention has been paid to these forms of sexual conflict, not least because it has not always been clear how the conflicts could be realized. Here we consider how biased gene transmission, as expressed in different genetic systems, enhances the opportunity for sex ratio conflict and give empirical examples that confirm that males and females have the opportunity to influence sex ratios.