Evolution and Diversity of Sex Ratio

Sex ratio, the proportion of a progeny that is female, is an extremely important fitness trait. It is particularly interesting in relation to haplodiploidy, a variety of parthenogenesis in which organisms reproduce without the benefit of fertilization. "Evolution and Diversity of Sex Ratio" arrives at several important conclusions drawn from new empirical studies: that biased sex ratios are characteristic of haplodiploid species; that these species are characteristically colonizing species with genetics suited both to spatially and temporally unpredictable environments; that manipulation of haplodiploid biological control agents, or pests that are to be controlled, depends on understanding the determinants of sex ratio; and that because evolutionary theory predicts that haplodiploids have the capacity to evolve faster than diploid organisms, haplodiploid species are the organisms of choice in biological control strategies. An extensive collection of data is included in this book to support authors' assertions. This book should be of interest to scientists working in applied entomology, researchers and graduate students interested in evolutionary biology, genetics and evolution.