QEIB: A Comprehensive Theory of Mating Systems

一个关于繁殖行为的一般理论对于我们对进化过程的基本理解以及我们管理濒危物种的能力都是必不可少的。尽管最近的发展大大增加了我们对交配系统的了解，但它使我们没有一个全面的理论来预测和解释生殖的一般模式。尽管我们知道每一个重要的生物因素对我们理解进化都是至关重要的，但各种重要的生物因素已经被彼此孤立地研究过。如果我们想要解释诸如雌性在没有精子限制的情况下与多个雄性交配以及没有已知的雄性或领地特征解释成功的扭曲交配分布等不同的观察结果，就需要一个更全面的方法。两性内部和两性之间的相互作用，生殖的时空动态，环境变化都是交配系统综合理论的重要组成部分。虽然这些因素都在某种程度上被孤立地处理过，但我们还没有研究过这些因素与特定交配行为进化之间的联系。例如，资源分散和社会条件的可变性会影响个体之间的互动。同时，关键资源的随机性既会影响个体间的相互作用，也会影响个体间的空间分散。此外，尽管我们对人口水平的结果感兴趣，但相互作用只发生在在空间和时间上遇到彼此的个体之间。为了创建一个通用理论，我们需要一个框架，使我们能够检查两性内部和两性之间的多种相互作用，并考虑环境条件和空间动态的重要性。这些相互作用的复杂性需要数学建模。动态规划博弈使得考虑个体的社会和生态环境对生殖行为的影响成为可能。我提出了一种新的方法，可以同时研究各种相互作用创造交配系统和确定生殖策略的现象。该方法将用于研究一般模型，以检查特定交配行为的随机性，空间和冲突之间的相互作用。然而，理论并不仅仅因为它更复杂就更好。相反，我所提倡的方法也将通过它增加我们对观察到的变化的理解的能力得到验证。它们解释观察到的行为的能力不仅会增加我们对单个物种的理解，而且对我们对交配系统的理解也有普遍的影响。

A general theory of reproductive behavior is imperative both to our basic understanding of evolutionary processes as well as our ability to manage threatened species. Although recent developments have greatly increased our understanding of mating systems, it has left us without a comprehensive theory for predicting and explaining general patterns of reproduction. A variety of important biological factors have been treated in isolation from one another, although we know that each one is critical to our understanding of evolution. A more comprehensive approach is necessary if we wish to explain such varied observations as females mating with multiple males in the absence of sperm limitation and a skewed mating distribution where no known male or territory trait explains success. Interactions within and between the sexes, spatial and temporal dynamics of reproduction, environmental variation are all be essential components of a comprehensive theory of mating systems. Although each of these elements has been addressed to some degree in isolation, we have not examined the connections between each of these factors to the evolution of specific mating behaviors. For example, resource dispersion and variability in social conditions will affect interactions between individuals. Concurrently stochasticity in critical resources will influence both the interactions between individuals as well as their spatial dispersion. Furthermore, although we are interested in population-level consequences, interactions only occur between individuals that encounter one another in space and time. To create a general theory, we need a framework which allows us to examine multiple interactions within and between the sexes as well as consider the importance of environmental conditions and spatial dynamics. The complexity of these interactions demand mathematical modeling. Dynamic programming games make it possible to consider the effect of an individual's social and ecological environment on reproductive behavior. I propose a new approach which makes it possible to simultaneously study a variety of phenomena that interact to create mating systems and determine reproductive strategies. This method will be used to study general models examining the interactions between stochasticity, space, and conflict on specific mating behaviors. Yet, theory is not better simply because it is more complex. Instead, the approach I am advocating will also be verified by its ability to increase our understanding of observed variation. Their ability to explain observed behavior will not only increase our understanding of a single species but also have general implications for our understanding of mating systems.