Mammalian Sexuality

There are more than 6000 species belonging to twenty-seven orders in the Class Mammalia. Comparative studies of this diverse and magnificent array of extant species provide valuable opportunities to formulate and test hypotheses concerning the evolution of reproduction. This is the first book to explore, in depth and breadth, the complex interrelationships that exist between patterns of mating behaviour and the evolution of mammalian reproductive anatomy and physiology. It focuses upon the role that copulatory and post-copulatory sexual selection have played during the evolution of the monotremes, marsupials and placental mammals, and examines the effects of sperm competition and cryptic female choice upon coevolution of the genitalia in the two sexes. In addition, due weight is also given to discussions of the modes of life of mammals, and to the roles played by natural selection and phylogeny in determining their reproductive traits.

'Rarely have I seen a book by a single author that is as comprehensive as this one on mammalian sexuality. One unusual aspect of the text is that the author discusses, clearly and with apparent ease, everything from how aspects of anatomy have developed in tandem with mating behaviour, to detailed discussions of the latest research on sperm transport and its genomic responses within the female reproductive tract. The author provides very clear explanations of important mechanisms such as sperm competition and cryptic female choice, referring to multiple species, many of which will be unfamiliar even to experienced readers. In this sense, the book presents a treasure trove of examples against which to understand comparative reproductive biology. As an impressive bonus the book also contains many of the author's own original drawings of animals and specific anatomical details, which he used to illustrate his points very skilfully.' William V. Holt, University of Sheffield, UK

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