Abstract
Current models on protandry in butterflies assume that females mate only once, yet for many species this assumption is not realistic. In this paper a model is formulated to study how polyandry, i.e. repeated mating of females, affects protandry. Moreover, the model is elaborated to describe the probability distribution of the number of matings per female. Field data on this distribution are well described by the model, which supports the use of the law of mass action to describe the encounter rate between males and females. Finally, a weight factor is derived, taking into account the decline in oviposition rate with age, as well as the chance that a female is remated. In comparison with the situation that all matings contribute equally to a male's reproductive success, the application of the weight factor enhances protandry. This suggests that mate competition is not the sole cause of protandry.
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Zonneveld, C. Polyandry and protandry in butterflies. Bltn Mathcal Biology 54, 957–976 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02460661
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02460661