Dept of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
Trends Ecol Evol. 1995 Mar;10(3):130-4. doi: 10.1016/s0169-5347(00)89014-x.
In choosing how many offspring to rear per cycle, parents commonly starts with more than they really can afford, then allow/encourage some to die. Multiple incentives for overproduction exist. By creating marginal young, parents may: (1) capitalize when unpredictable resources prove unusually rich; (2) supply these as food or servants for core brood members; and/or (3) have a stock of replacements for any core offspring that either fail to survive or develop poorly.
在选择每个繁殖周期要养育多少后代时，父母通常会从超过自己实际能够承受的数量开始，然后允许/鼓励一些后代死亡。过度繁殖存在多种动机。通过制造边际幼崽，父母可以：（1）在不可预测的资源变得异常丰富时利用机会；（2）将这些幼崽作为核心后代的食物或仆役；和/或（3）为任何未能存活或发育不良的核心后代提供替代物。
