Promiscuity and sperm selection improves genetic quality in birds

New research from the University of East Anglia has shown that females can maximise the genetic quality of their offspring by being promiscuous. Researchers studied red junglefowl (the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken) in a collaborative project with the University of Oxford, Stockholm University and Linköping University. Findings published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveal that mating with different males helps females produce offspring that are more resistant to diseases...