In This Chapter of Principles of Animal Behavior, You Were

In this chapter of Principles of Animal Behavior, you were familiarized with the topic of sperm competition, whereby the sperm of different males compete to fertilize females' eggs. Is it possible, however, that selection might favor cooperation among closely related sperm and that such cooperation might tip the scales in favor of one male over another? Read the paper by Fisher & Hoekstra (2010), "Competition Drives Cooperation among Closely Related Sperm of Deer Mice" (Nature, vol. 463, pp. 801-803). Describe the main findings of the study. What important insight does this study contribute to our understanding of sexual selection? Develop at least three independent hypotheses aimed at exploring the mechanisms used by sperm to form highly competitive aggregates.