Low fertilization rates in a pelagic copepod caused by sexual selection?

We studied female fertilization status in North Sea summer populations and laboratory cultures of the marine copepod Temora longicornis and found fractions of fertilized females in both field and laboratory populations that were much smaller (<50%) than predicted by a theoretical model that assumes random mating.

Such low fertilization rates are normally related to environmental factors such as poor food or low densities, which we could not confirm in our experiment. Male density was negatively related to fertilization rate, and a large fraction of males did not mate in laboratory incubations. We therefore suggest that sexual selection, through mate choice or male–male competition could account for low fertilization rates of females in populations of pelagic copepods during some periods of the year