Female–Female Competition

Abstract

There is no disagreement that males compete over access to reproductive opportunities. This competition can be covert or take the form of physical fights, which are easily observed in many species. Males take considerable risks when they fight, presumably because the price—access to reproduction—is so high. But what about females? They also often compete for males, but in less risky ways. They also seem to compete less directly for individual males, but more indirectly for resources that males can provide. Nonetheless, female competition is more important in shaping sexual selection than previously thought.