Sperm precedence
Sperm precedence, or sperm predominance, is when a female that mates with several males has most of her offspring sired by one male rather than evenly. It’s a part of sperm competition. Precedence can depend on timing: first-male precedence means the first mate sires more offspring; last-male precedence means the most recent mate sires more. It can also depend on other factors, such as how motile the sperm are or how close the sperm are delivered to the eggs. First-male precedence has been observed in species like the common crab spider Misumena vatia.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:26 (CET).