Final answer:
Males in anisogamous species may allocate considerable energy to courtship and attraction traits, possibly reducing their investment in parental care.
Step-by-step explanation:
In anisogamous species, the male/female investment in reproduction can vary significantly. Males may invest heavily in traits to attract mates, notably in courtship rituals or in developing features such as colorful plumage. However, the cost of these investments can impact the energy they have left for parental care.
High energy expenditure in mating strategies like courtship displays or territorial defenses means that less energy is available for males to invest in offspring care. This dynamic has evolutionary implications: typically, in species where males compete intensely for mates and female choice is prominent, males invest more in attraction traits, possibly at the expense of parental involvement. Conversely, when males can afford to allocate resources to offspring care, it suggests a mating system with less competitive pressure, or an adaptation maximizing the survival chances of their progeny.
Ultimately, the balance between energy spent on attracting a mate and on caring for offspring is driven by the specific reproductive strategies that have evolved within a species, often in response to sexual selection pressures and the reproductive success variance among males.