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Science 1 December 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5804, p. 1349
DOI: 10.1126/science.314.5804.1349g
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Biases in sex ratio at birth have led to the suggestion that females may manipulate the sex of their offspring. Gomendio et al. (p. 1445) now show that males may also influence offspring sex ratio. In red deer, more fertile males tend to produce proportionally more sons who are likely to inherit high fertility rates. Sperm collected during the rut from males living in natural populations was used for artificial insemination to minimize known female effects on sex ratio. Such male contributions to biases in offspring sex ratio suggest an evolutionary scenario in which conflicts of interest between males and females in relation to the sex of their offspring may play an important role.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)