Genetic Tools to Investigate the Consequences of Sex

Abstract

AbstractThe primary purpose of sex is reproduction. However, because not all mating events result in fertilization and only a small number of species provide biparental care to their young, successfully reproducing individuals can rarely be identified from behavioral observations alone. Genetic tools permit reliable identification of an individual’s parents and thus of successfully reproducing individuals, because each parent passes on half of their genetic material to their offspring. In cetaceans, genetic tools are required to identify a female’s already weaned offspring and to detect successfully reproducing males due to the absence of paternal care. To date, relatively few studies have investigated variables linked to reproductive success in this taxon, owed to the difficulty of sampling entire cetacean populations. We summarize currently known factors that are linked to successful reproduction in whales, porpoises, and dolphins, as well as in terrestrial mammals with comparable life histories that give birth to single young.