Understanding mating systems is a pillar of behavioural ecology, placing the complex interactions between females and males into a reproductive context. The field of multiple paternity, the phenomenon whereby many sires contribute to an individual litter, has traditionally viewed females as passive players in a male–male competitive framework. With the emergence of feminist perspectives in ecological fields, novel alternative mechanisms and evolutionary theories across invertebrate and vertebrate taxa recognize females are active stakeholders in the reproductive process. Despite their evolutionary significance, ecological diversity and myriad reproductive modes, elasmobranch (sharks, skates and rays) research lags behind other fields regarding complex biological processes, such as multiple paternity which is often ascribed to convenience polyandry. Here, we layout hypotheses and resynthesize multiple paternity literature from a female and life history perspective to highlight how alternative mechanisms influence the predominance of multiple paternity across elasmobranchs. We draw upon parallels in other invertebrate and vertebrate taxa to demonstrate how female elasmobranchs can influence multiple paternity outcomes that benefit their reproductive success. Our article challenges dogma that has resulted from years of dismissing the female perspective as important and provides a framework for future advancement using more holistic approaches to studying mating systems.

中文翻译：

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牙齿不方便：使用进化上和生态上重要的脊椎动物进化枝评估多亲中的女性选择

了解交配系统是行为生态学的基础，它将雌性和雄性之间的复杂相互作用置于生殖环境中。传统上，在多父权的领域中，许多公牛会为单个的杂物做出贡献，在公母竞争框架中，雌性被视为被动参与者。随着生态学领域女权主义观点的出现，无脊椎动物和脊椎动物类群的新颖替代机制和进化论认识到女性是生殖过程中的积极利益相关者。尽管具有进化意义，生态多样性和繁多的繁殖方式，但弹性分支（鲨鱼，溜冰鞋和rays鱼）的研究在复杂的生物过程方面落后于其他领域，例如多亲权通常归因于方便一妻多夫制。在这里，我们从女性和生活史的角度出发，设定了假设并重新合成了多个父权文学，以强调替代机制如何影响跨分支的多重父权制的优势。我们利用其他无脊椎动物和脊椎动物类群中的相似之处，来证明女性弹性分支如何影响多重父权结局，从而有利于她们的生殖成功。我们的文章挑战了多年来忽视女性观点的重要性所产生的教条，并使用更全面的方法来研究交配系统，为未来的发展提供了框架。我们利用其他无脊椎动物和脊椎动物类群中的相似之处，来证明女性弹性分支如何影响多重父权结局，从而有利于其生殖成功。我们的文章对多年以来一直不重视女性观点的教条提出了挑战，并使用更全面的方法来研究交配系统，为未来的发展提供了框架。我们利用其他无脊椎动物和脊椎动物类群中的相似之处，来证明女性弹性分支如何影响多重父权结局，从而有利于其生殖成功。我们的文章挑战了多年来忽视女性观点的重要性所产生的教条，并使用更全面的方法来研究交配系统，为未来的发展提供了框架。