Bateman's principle

Definition

Bateman's principle, in evolutionary biology, states that the variability in reproductive success is greater in males than in females. It was first proposed by Angus John Bateman (1919–1996), an English geneticist and botanist. The principle is based on the observation that, while males can produce millions of sperm cells with little effort, females must invest higher levels of resources in order to nurture a relatively small number of egg cells. Bateman's paradigm thus views females as the limiting factor in reproduction over which males compete in order to copulate.

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