Mate guarding
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Mate guarding is a competitive reproductive behaviour, primarily exhibited by males, to monopolize a mate and ensure exclusive paternity by guarding, dissuading, or physically blocking rivals from copulating with the female. Mate guarding behaviour can be pre- or post-copulatory.[1]
Mate guarding has similar aims and may overlap with but is distinct from territoriality where mating exclusivity is achieved by expelling rivals from an area and monopolizing resources, and sperm competition.
While increasing the probability of paternity by reducing possibilities for secondary matings and sperm competition, mate guarding has fitness costs; guards spend energy, they can be injured in fights with rivals, they lose opportunities to feed[2], and lose additional mating opportunities.[3]
Depending on the mechanism employed, a female being guarded may lose opportunities to seek additional mating which would increase her fitness by diversifying paternity[4][5], be injured in rival male fights, and have her movement inhibited, but benefit from being defended from predation, receiving male assistance, and protection from injurious harassment by competing males.[6][7]