Dictionary of Human Evolution and Biology

Dictionary of Human Evolution and Biology

Parental Investment

1. allocation of resources towards offspring that requires some cost to the parent(s).

2. in sociobiology, care by a parent or parents towards an existing offspring that increases the chance that particular offspring will reproduce, but at the expense of producing potential offspring in the future. Aka differential investment.

See period of parental investment and sexual asymmetry.

Full-Text Search Entries

relative parental investment (... . See sexual asymmetry, female parental investment.)
termination of parental investment (... of reproductive success. See parental investment, parent-offspring conflict.)
female parental investment (... than males. Cf. male parental investment. See sexual asymmetry.)
male parental investment (... invest less. Cf. female parental investment. See sexual asymmetry.)
period of parental investment (... success. See termination of parental investment.)