Data from: Coevolutionary feedbacks between female mating interval and male allocation to competing sperm traits can drive evolution of costly polyandry

Complex coevolutionary feedbacks between female mating interval and male
sperm traits have been hypothesized to explain the evolution and
persistence of costly polyandry. Such feedbacks could potentially arise
because polyandry creates sperm competition and consequent selection on
male allocation to sperm traits, while the emerging sperm traits could
create female sperm limitation and, hence, impose selection for increased
polyandry. However, the hypothesis that costly polyandry could coevolve
with male sperm dynamics has not been tested. We built a genetically
explicit individual-based model to simulate simultaneous evolution of
female mating interval and male allocation to sperm number versus
longevity, where these two sperm traits trade off. We show that evolution
of competing sperm traits under polyandry can indeed cause female sperm
limitation and, hence, promote further evolution and persistence of costly
polyandry, particularly when sperm are costly relative to the degree of
female sperm limitation. These feedbacks were stronger, and greater
polyandry evolved, when postcopulatory competition for paternity followed
a loaded rather than fair raffle and when sperm traits had realistically
low heritability. We therefore demonstrate that the evolution of
allocation to sperm traits driven by sperm competition can prevent males
from overcoming female sperm limitation, thereby driving ongoing evolution
of costly polyandry.