Strategic male mate choice minimizes ejaculate consumption

Abstract

Reproduction can be costly for males, particularly when they provide nutrient-rich ejaculates in the form of spermatophores or secondary ejaculatory components. These costs may further increase if females reject or consume a male's ejaculate rather than using it for egg fertilization. Males should, therefore, attempt to minimize these costs to maximize their reproductive payoffs. We examined male reproductive investment toward virgin females in the Southern Bottletail Squid, Sepiadarium austrinum. Specifically, we assessed whether the presence of unfertilized eggs inside females influenced male reproductive investment, whether females removed spermatophores postcopulation, and what phenotypi..