男性监控配偶、配偶不贞与精子竞争的关系

Male Mate Retention Behaviors Vary with Risk of Partner Infidelity and Sperm Competition

精子竞争是指同一女性产道中两个或两个以上男人的精子相互竞争卵子的过程。女性得到社会承认的性伙伴可能因精子竞争失败而损失惨重，因为女性私通可能引起男性投资于不携带自己基因的后代。过去研究表明进化而来的男性配偶监控策略可以防止女性不贞，减少精子竞争失败的危险。当前研究发现男性与配偶进行性行为后离别时间越久，男性就越采取出其不意地打电话、独占配偶时间、威胁对配偶感兴趣的男性等手段来监控配偶。

Sperm competition occurs when the sperm of two or more males concurrently occupy the reproductive tract of a single female and compete to fertilize an egg. This can be costly if the woman’s social partner loses the competition and， as a consequence， invests in offspring that are not genetically his own， a situation known as cuckoldry. Previous research suggests that men may have evolved tactics such as mate retention behaviors that reduce the risk of sperm competition and cuckoldry. The current research provides new evidence that men at greater risk of partner infidelity and sperm competition， measured as having spent a greater proportion of time apart from their partner since the couple’s last in-pair copulation， more frequently perform a variety of mate retention behaviors， such as calling unexpectedly to check up on their partners， monopolizing their partners’ time when around other men， and threatening other men who show an interest in their partners.