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The first book on the evolution of anisogamy: top theorists explore why gamete dimorphism characterizes nearly all plants and animals. Darwin identified the existence of separate male and female gametes as one of the central mysteries of evolutionary biology; 150 years later, this question remains an intriguing puzzle. In this, the first book on the evolution of anisogamy, top theorists explore why gamete dimorphism characterizes nearly all plants and animals. Darwin identified the existence of separate male and female gametes as one of the central mysteries of evolutionary biology; 150 years later, this question remains an intriguing puzzle. In this, the first book on the evolution of anisogamy, top theorists explore why gamete dimorphism characterizes nearly all plants and animals. Darwin identified the existence of separate male and female gametes as one of the central mysteries of evolutionary biology. 150 years later, the question of why male gametes exist remains an intriguing puzzle. In this, the first book solely devoted to the evolution of anisogamy, top theorists in the field explore why gamete dimorphism characterizes nearly all plants and animals. Did separate male and female gametes evolve as a result of competition, or does anisogamy instead represent selection for cooperation? If disruptive selection drove the evolution of anisogamy, with male gametes focused on search and fusion, and female gametes provisioning the new zygote, why do some algal species continue to produce gametes of a single size? Does sperm limitation, or escape from infection, better explain the need for extremely small, highly mobile sperm? Written by leaders in the field, this volume offers an authoritative and cutting-edge overview of evolutionary theory. Introduction Paul Alan Cox; 1. The origin and maintenance of two sexes (anisogamy), and their gamete sizes by gamete competition Geoff A. Parker; 2. The evolutionary instability of isogamy Hiroyuki Matsuda and Peter A. Abrams; 3. Contact, not conflict, causes the evolution of anisogamy Joan Roughgarden and Priya Iyer; 4. Nucleo-cytoplasmic conflict and the evolution of gamete dimorphism Rolf F. Hoekstra; 5. Adaptive significance of egg size variation of aquatic organisms in relation to mesoscale features of aquatic environments Kinya Nishimura and Noboru Hoshino; 6. Gamete encounters David B. Dusenbery; 7. Evolution of anisogamy and related phenomena in marine green algae Tatsuya Togashi and John L. Bartelt; Index. 'This is a fascinating and authoritative collection shedding new light on one of the most fundamental challenges in evolutionary biology. Charles Darwin, who puzzled over the evolution of anisogamy, would much enjoy reading this book.' Simon A. Levin, Princeton University 'The mysteries of sex intrigue everyone, from all walks of life, but most laypeople are unaware that there has not always been sex. Sex, involving gametes of very unequal size (anisogamy) - one large and sessile and one tiny and mobile - evolved from a simpler mating system with two equal, small gametes (isogamy). Why? This book addresses this important question from all angles, empirical to theoretical. Contrasting explanations are argued in clear but rigorous detail, making this book ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate seminars, as well as study by professionals. Plants, with their diversity of present-day mating systems, play a major role in the book which will help to broaden student's perspectives by show