Final answer:
Sperm ejection in jungle fowl is a strategy against unwanted paternity. This behavior allows female birds to potentially select preferred genetic material for their offspring, differing from external fertilization seen in aquatic species where eggs and sperm are released into the environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sperm ejection, as observed in jungle fowl, is a strategy against unwanted paternity. This reproductive strategy can occur when a female bird ejects sperm from a less desirable mate, thus boosting the probability that her offspring will be fathered by a preferred male. In the world of birds, sperm transfer is typically accomplished through a cloacal kiss, where the cloaca of both the male and the female come into contact. This contrasts with the external fertilization method seen in many marine animals and amphibians, where sperm is released into the water to fertilize eggs.
In broadcast spawning, large quantities of eggs and sperm are released into the water, which can lead to a high chance of fertilization as well as increased genetic diversity. However, because jungle fowl are birds that require internal fertilization, the ejection of sperm post-copulation represents a selective behavior to increase reproductive success, rather than a fertilization mechanism or response to environmental cues.