Final answer:
It is false that male Hanuman langurs committing infanticide are reducing their own reproductive success; it is instead a strategy to increase it. Sperm-depleted male langurs successfully reproduce with large females, indicating a selection for genes influencing mate choice that ensures gene continuation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that male Hanuman langurs that commit infanticide are actually reducing their own reproductive success is false. Infanticide among Hanuman langurs is a strategy that newly dominant males often use to eliminate the offspring of previous males. When a male takes over a group and kills unrelated infants, it induces estrus in the females sooner, allowing the new male to sire his own offspring with the females. This behavior is a reproductive strategy that, quite contrarily, potentially increases his reproductive success rather than reducing it.
In the context of selective breeding, sperm-depleted males were successful in producing offspring when mated with large females. The genes that influenced the behavior of sperm-depleted males to choose smaller, more fecund females were selected. This suggests that when considering reproductive strategies, a successful strategy may involve selecting mates that can ensure the continuation of one's genes, rather than reducing immediate mating opportunities.