Chapter 9 Summary and Analysis

Moving forward with the selfish gene theory, the author suggests that mates (male and female) share no DNA, but they do share a half interest in each of their offspring. It might be useful for a gene machine to somehow cheat the other gene machine parent into investing more energy into protecting and raising offspring while the cheater goes out and makes more copies of itself with someone else. According to a scientist named Trivers, a great deal of mistrust and exploitation goes on between male and female mates. He looks at breeding as a real war of the sexes. To examine this idea, Dawkins tries to define what the basic male and female animal (or plant) really are. Sperm or pollen cells of males are called gametes, and they are smaller than eggs or gametes of females (some fungi use...