Symposium: Bateman's Principle: Is it Time for a Re-evaluation? January 2004, New Orleans, Louisiana

动物行为的许多领域，包括a）交配系统（如一夫一妻制，一夫多妻制）的进化; B）性选择（性别之间的差异，使一个性别更好地为另一个性别竞争-例如，孔雀的尾巴）;和c）男女性行为的差异，已经被称为“贝特曼原则”的范式深刻影响。1948年，贝特曼在研究果蝇时得出结论，雄性果蝇会为雌性竞争--有些雄性果蝇会获得很多交配机会，而有些则不会;大多数雌性果蝇确实会交配。此外，雄性的生育能力随着配偶数量的增加而增加，但雌性的生育能力却没有增加。这些结果被归因于这样一个事实，即雄性产生数十亿的精子，而雌性的卵子相对较少。因此，雄性应该不加区别地与尽可能多的雌性交配，而雌性应该有鉴别力，性被动，只与一个“最好的”雄性交配。贝特曼预言，女性应该赞成一夫一妻制，男性应该赞成滥交。因为雄性会为雌性而竞争，所以性选择在雄性中应该更重要。当现代数据显示，在某些物种中，这些预测并不符合时，这些想法开始受到质疑。有些雄性可能会在雌性中仔细选择，甚至拒绝与“劣等”雌性交配。据推测，一夫一妻制的女性可能会积极寻求与多个男性交配，从而提高他们的生育能力。本次研讨会汇集了专家来评估贝特曼原则的哪些方面仍然有效，以及现代男女性行为及其对生育能力的影响可能会影响我们对贝特曼范式的理解。

Many areas in animal behavior, including evolution of a) matings systems (e.g. monogamy, polygamy); b) sexual selection (differences between the sexes that make one sex better able to compete for the other sex - e.g., the peacock's tail); and c) differences in male-female sexual behavior, have been profoundly influenced by a paradigm known as "Bateman's Principle". In 1948, Bateman, working with fruitflies, concluded that males compete for females - some males gain many matings while others do not; most females do mate. Moreover, male fertility increased with the number of mates, but female fertility did not. These results were ascribed to the fact that males produce billions of sperm, while females have relatively few eggs. Consequently, males should indiscriminately try to mate with as many females as possible, but females should be discriminating, sexually passive, and mate only with one "best" male. Bateman predicted that females should favor monogamy, and males promiscuity. Because males compete for females, sexual selection should be more important in males. These ideas began to be questioned when modern data showed that, in some species, these predictions do not fit. Some males may carefully choose among females and even refuse to mate with "inferior" females. Presumably monogamous females may actively seek copulations with multiple males, and thereby increase their fertility.This symposium brings together experts to evaluate which aspects of Bateman's Principles are still valid, and how modern data on male-female sexual behavior and its effects on fertility may impact our understanding of Bateman's paradigm.