can females of various animal species select particular sperm to
fertilise their eggs, after having mated with multiple males? Please
provide references of recent scientific research which has tested this
hypothesis.

pinkladie-ga,

The concept of post-copulatory sexual selection -- also known as
cryptic female choice -- is a well-grounded hypothesis in the field of
evolutionary biology.

It has both a theoretical basis as well as experimental support.  The
experimental evidence is building species by species and paper by
paper.

Like most concepts in this field, the hypothesis has its detractors,
those who accept some broad outlines, but not others, and those who
read experimental results differently from one another.

Still, by and large, it is an idea that appears to be gaining ground
among evolutionary biologists.

Post-copulatory sexual selection is an expansion of a long-standing
concept that there is competition between sperm as to which one gets
to fertilize the egg, and this competition is especially significant
when there are multiple would-be fathers involved.

In the traditional view, the competition is (surprise!) overwhelmingly
male-oriented.  That is, the outcome of the competition is dependent
solely on the sperm themselves -- which one is the fastest swimmer,
for instance.

In the revised view of post-copulatory sexual selection, the female of
many species can play a role which is considerably more involved than
merely serving as a passive receptacle for the sperm of several males.
 Females have displayed dozens of physical and chemical mechanisms
whereby a female who has received the sperm of numerous males can
'favor' the sperm of the most desirable male over that of the others.


Probably the most widely known name in connection with the ideas of
post-copulatory sexual selection is that of  Dr. William G. Eberhard
with the Smithsonian Institution, and his most well-known work on the
topic is his 1996 book:


-----
http://www.pupress.princeton.edu/titles/5817.html

Female Control: Sexual Selection by Cryptic Female Choice
William G. Eberhard

.....A growing body of evidence has begun to reveal flaws in the
traditional assumption of female passivity and lack of discrimination
after copulation has begun. William Eberhard has compiled an
impressive array of research on the ability of females to shape the
outcome of mating. He describes studies of many different cryptic
mechanisms by which a female can accept a male for copulation but
nevertheless reject him as a father. Evidence from various fields
indicates that such selectivity by females may be the norm rather than
the exception.
-----



Dr. Eberhard's website is here:


http://www.stri.org/english/scientific_staff/staff_scientist/scientist.php?id=10
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
email:  archisepsis@biologia.ucr.ac.cr 


and some of his relevant publications can be seen here:


-----
http://striweb.si.edu/publications/results.php?scientist=William+Eberhard

Eberhard W. 2004. Male-female conflict and genitalia: failure to
confim predictions in insects and spiders. Biol.Rev.79, 121-186

Eberhard W. 2000. Criteria for demonstrating postcopulatory female
choice. Evolution. 54(3), 1047-1050.

Eberhard W. 1994. Evidence for widespread courtship during copulation
in 131 species of insects and spiders, and implications for cryptic
female choice. Evolution. 48(3), 711-733.
-----



Of course, there are many others who have made contributions to the
field, both experimental and otherwise.  An excellent overview of the
literature is this article from Nature:


http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/~w3behav/Cryptic2.pdf
Nature
April 2002
POSTCOPULATORY SEXUAL SELECTION
Timothy R. Birkhead and Tommaso Pizzari





Here are links to some of the other main publications on this topic:



http://www.csus.edu/indiv/h/hollandb/downloads/Female_Control.RTF
Evolution 51(1), 1997.pp. 321-324.   
Book Review
CRYPTIC SEXUAL SELECTION - MORE CONTROL ISSUES
BRETT HOLLAND, and WILLIAM R. RICE



http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3778/is_200101/ai_n8947449/pg_2
Sexual selection and the comparative anatomy of reproduction in
monkeys, apes, and human beings
Annual Review of Sex Research,  2001  by Dixson, Alan,  Anderson, Matthew



http://www.dorak.info/evolution/sselect.html
SEXUAL SELECTION
M.Tevfik Dorak
[See text beginning..."The less appreciated form of sexual selection
that has gained popularity lately is the cryptic female choice..."]


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12123301&dopt=Abstract
Proc Biol Sci. 2001 Jan 7;268(1462):77-81.
Antagonistic pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection on male body
size in a water strider (Gerris lacustris).
Danielsson I.


http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/10/4689
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol 90, 4689-4692
1993 
Postcopulatory Sexual Selection in an Arctiid Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)
CW LaMunyon and T Eisner 



http://evol.allenpress.com/evolonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=0014-3820&volume=058&issue=08&page=1773
Evolution: Vol. 58, No. 8, pp. 1773?1780.
CONSTRAINTS ON EVOLUTION AND POSTCOPULATORY SEXUAL SELECTION:
TRADE-OFFS AMONG EJACULATE CHARACTERISTICS
Patricia J. Moore, et al



http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1672%2F1536-2442(2005)005%5B0001%3ASSAMAI%5D2.0.CO%3B2
Journal of Insect Science
Article: pp. 1?8
2004
Sexual selection and mating advantages in the giant sperm species,
Drosophila bifurca
Nathalie Luck, Dominique Joly



http://galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au/~phil/_Pdfs/1999%20Taylor%20&%20Yuval.pdf
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 1999, 58, 247?254
Postcopulatory sexual selection in Mediterranean fruit flies:
advantages for large and protein-fed males
PHILLIP W. TAYLOR & BOAZ YUVAL



http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3746/is_199709/ai_n8762192
Female Control: Sexual Selection by Cryptic Female Choice
American Zoologist,  Sep 1997  by Gowaty, Patricia Adair



http://evol.allenpress.com/evolonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=0014-3820&volume=056&issue=12&page=2530
Evolution: Vol. 56, No. 12, pp. 2530?2536.
THE EVOLUTION OF ALTERNATIVE CRYPTIC FEMALE CHOICE STRATEGIES IN
AGE-STRUCTURED POPULATIONS
Adam G. Jones



http://publications.uu.se/abstract.xsql?dbid=5753
Cryptic Female Choice and Male Mating Behaviour: Sexual Interactions in Beetles
Edvardsson, Martin
Uppsala University
2005



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11108595&dopt=Abstract
Evolution Int J Org Evolution. 2000 Oct;54(5):1680-6. Related Articles, Links  
Cryptic female choice in the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria (L.).
Ward PI.




I trust this list of publications fully meets your needs for
information on this intirguing topic.

However, if there is anything more I can do for you, don't hesitate to
ask.  Simiply post a Request for Clarification to let me know what you
need, and I am at your service.

Cheers,

pafalafa-ga



search strategy -- searched Google and Google Scholar for:


"cryptic female choice

post-copulatory sexual selection

Do you have ANY indication that this occurs?  If so, do you have any
recollection of the type of species:  mammels, amphibians, birds,
fish, ...?
Where did you hear about it?

Let us know, please.

I know that there is a wide array of research that implies that crytic
female choice exists i.e. the ability of the female to influence
paternity post-copulation. I am writing an essay on the subject at the
present time and want to know other peoples opinion on the value of
the current research available. So far I have read literature which
claims to have demonstrated post-copulatory female choice in spiders,
birds, fowl and beetles.