Adult sex ratios: causes of variation and implications for animal and human societies

Ryan Schacht (1) , Steven R Beissinger (2, 3) , Claus Wedekind (4) , Michael D Jennions (5) , Benjamin Geffroy (6) , András Liker (7) , Peter M Kappeler (8, 9) , Franz J Weissing (10) , Karen L Kramer (11) , Therese Hesketh (12) , Jérôme Boissier (13) , Caroline Uggla (14) , Mike Hollingshaus (11) , Tamás Székely (15, 16)

1 ECU - East Carolina University [Greenville]
2 Museum of Vertebrate Zoology [Berkeley]
3 ESPM - Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management [Berkeley]
4 UNIL - Université de Lausanne = University of Lausanne
5 ANU - Australian National University
6 UMR MARBEC - MARine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation - MARBEC
7 University of Pannonia
8 GPC - DPZ - German Primate Center - Deutsches Primatenzentrum - Leibniz Insitute for Primate Research [Göttingen]
9 Georg-August-University = Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
10 GELIFES - Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences [Groningen]
11 University of Utah
12 UCL - University College of London [London]
13 IHPE - Interactions Hôtes-Pathogènes-Environnements
14 Stockholm University
15 Milner Centre for Evolution
16 University of Debrecen Egyetem [Debrecen]

Converging lines of inquiry from across the social and biological sciences target the adult sex ratio (ASR; the proportion of males in the adult population) as a fundamental population-level determinant of behavior. The ASR, which indicates the relative number of potential mates to competitors in a population, frames the selective arena for competition, mate choice, and social interactions. Here we review a growing literature, focusing on methodological developments that sharpen knowledge of the demographic variables underlying ASR variation, experiments that enhance understanding of the consequences of ASR imbalance across societies, and phylogenetic analyses that provide novel insights into social evolution. We additionally highlight areas where research advances are expected to make accelerating contributions across the social sciences, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity conservation.

Domaines: Evolution [q-bio.PE]

Ryan Schacht, Steven R Beissinger, Claus Wedekind, Michael D Jennions, Benjamin Geffroy, et al.. Adult sex ratios: causes of variation and implications for animal and human societies. Communications Biology, 2022, 5 (1), pp.1273. ⟨10.1038/s42003-022-04223-w⟩. ⟨hal-03877881v2⟩