Author:
Wikipedia

Date of Publication:
May 15, 2018

Publication:
Wikipedia

Abstract:
In evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology, the Trivers–Willard hypothesis,[1] formally proposed by Robert Trivers and Dan Willard, suggests that female mammals are able to adjust offspring sex ratio in response to their maternal condition. For example, it may predict greater parental investment in males by parents in “good conditions” and greater investment in females by parents in “poor conditions” (relative to parents in good condition). The reasoning for this prediction is as follows: Assume that parents have information on the sex of their offspring and can influence their survival differentially. While pressures exist to maintain sex ratios at 50%, evolution will favor local deviations from this if one sex has a likely greater reproductive payoff than is usual.

Read the rest of the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivers%E2%80%93Willard_hypothesis