Reproductive interference

Figure 1. Examples of reproductive interference. Reproductive interference can be caused by transfer of pollen between different plant species by bees (top left); a young male fur seal attempts to mate with a king penguin (top right); reproductive interference between species of damselfly can drive the evolution of reproductive character displacement (bottom right); mating calls made by males of different species can overlap in frequency causing signal jamming as in the frog Epipedobates trivittatus (bottom left). Photo credits (clockwise from top left): David Shuker, P.J.N. de Bruyn, Martin Haddrill, and Brian Gratwicke. What is reproductive interference? Reproductive interference occurs when individuals of one species engage in reproductive activities with individuals of another species, and when these interactions reduce the fitness of one or both species (Figure 1). These interactions can vary from competition between males of different species for access to females through to matings between individuals of different species.