RE: NANFA-L--Mollies - old and new topics

Bruce Stallsmith (fundulus-in-hotmail.com)
Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:04:28 -0500

Sperm is more costly than commonly thought. There's a large literature,
largely based on fish studies, showing differential sperm release under
different mating conditions because males are often sperm limited. I'll
agree with Peter's qualms about a study that doesn't show numbers but only
the statistical test(s) run by the authors. But to me it's entirely
plausible that there is some discrimination in sperm release between
different classes of females.

I've never kept Amazon mollies, but they've always fascinated me (or am I
merely sex obsessed...).

--Bruce Stallsmith
it's still Spring along the Tennessee
Huntsville, AL, US of A

>admit. :-) Another point is sperm is not a very costly item to produce.
>Most animals (and people) will gladly get rid of it any chance they get!
>Probably not because they want to make babies, but because it feels good.
>Natures great con as they say. Seems to have worked pretty good so far,
>or most of us probably wouldn't be here now.
>
>Cheers
>Peter Unmack
>Canadian River, Oklahoma

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