QEIB: A Comprehensive Theory of Mating Systems

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受威胁物种的能力都是必不可少的。尽管最近的发展极大地增加了我们对交配系统的了解，但它还没有给我们留下一个全面的理论来预测和解释一般的生殖模式。尽管我们知道每一个因素对我们对进化的理解都是至关重要的，但各种重要的生物因素都被彼此孤立地对待。如果我们想要解释不同的观察结果，比如雌性在没有精子限制的情况下与多个雄性交配，以及在没有已知的雄性或领地特征解释成功的情况下，交配分布扭曲，那么更全面的方法是必要的。两性内部和两性之间的相互作用，生殖的空间和时间动态，环境变化，都是交配系统综合理论的重要组成部分。虽然这些因素中的每一个都已经在一定程度上被孤立地解决了，但我们还没有研究这些因素中的每一个与特定交配行为的进化之间的联系。例如，社会条件中的资源分散和可变性将影响个人之间的互动。同时，关键资源的随机性既会影响个体之间的相互作用，也会影响个体的空间分散性。此外，尽管我们对种群水平的后果感兴趣，但相互作用只发生在在空间和时间上相遇的个人之间。为了建立一个普遍的理论，我们需要一个框架，允许我们检查性别内部和性别之间的多重互动，以及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。动态规划游戏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，使同时研究各种相互作用的现象来创建交配系统和确定生殖策略成为可能。这种方法将被用来研究检验随机、空间和冲突之间在特定交配行为上的相互作用的一般模型。然而，理论之所以更好，并不仅仅是因为它更复杂。相反，我倡导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来验证。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，还会对我们对交配系统的理解产生普遍的影响。

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.