Question

Which mating system is most likely to produce sexual conflict?

1) Males and females partner for life and share parenting duties
2) Females mate once but males mate multiple times
3) Females and males both mate multiple times
4) Males mate once but females can mate multiple times
5) All of the above are likely to produce equal amounts of sexual conflict

Answer 1

Option 3.

The mating system most likely to produce sexual conflict is when both females and males mate multiple times, due to potential conflicts over mate choice and parental resource allocation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mating system most likely to produce sexual conflict is the scenario in which females and males both mate multiple times.

In such a system, commonly known as polygynandry, both sexes engage in mating with multiple partners, leading to potential conflicts over mate choice, paternity or maternity certainty, and allocation of resources for parental care.

This contrasts with monogamous systems or those where only one sex mates multiple times, which tend to have less sexual conflict due to higher parental investment and potential mate-assistance.

Therefore, option 3) 'Females and males both mate multiple times' is the correct option that is most likely to produce sexual conflict.