3 ms·
> > Nature creates superfluous number of males > A rather astounding statement. Selective pressure should result a ratio appropriate for a given species of pla
by astine 4y ago
> > Nature creates superfluous number of males
> A rather astounding statement. Selective pressure should result a ratio appropriate for a given species of plant or animal. It’s not my field, but I haven’t seen any literature suggesting any such thing, nor do I know of any country full of sultans.
This is not actually true. The math works out that there is usually an even ratio between males and females, and that this is even the case in tournament species (where one male is able to mate with multiple females.) The thing to understand is that in this hypothetical, it wouldn't be a country full of sultans, but a country full of would-be sultans. A very different proposition.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher%27s_principle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher%27s_principle
- gumby 4y agoInteresting. Technically it doesn’t contradict my statement, as 1:1 must be some sort of Panglossian survival ratio :-). But of course you twigged that that wasn’t what I was thinking at all at all, which is what makes your comment so interesting. But it takes a lot of effort to make offspring, so none of them would be of a “surplus” sex. I must say that I’m surprised that the 1:1 ratio survives in schooling or herding species in which a large proportion perish. I suppose it’s insurance against an unfortunate loss of all males. There’s probably an interesting maths PhD in there someplace.