Agent Based Model Forr Quantifying Maternal Effects On Genotypic Proportions

There exist many species that have a direct control over their offspring.  Examples include the common goby, which increases the number of eggs when there are few males, or the peafowl, determining the sex of their offspring. We studied maternal investment in the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) bydeveloping an individual based model. It has previously been found that female mallards that mate with preferred males increase their egg size investment (resulting in a better nest survivability for their offspring), but have no increase in egg size when mated with an unattractive male. Our results show that genotypic proportions of genotypes not only depend on the fitness of the parents genes but cryptic female choice has a direct influence over the genetic composition of a population.