Monogamy has been defined (1) as a social system, based on a special relationship between two individuals, or (2) as a given individual's mating strategy with special genetic consequences. For instance in a harem as a stable social system, every female is monogamous while the male is polygamous. As males produce a surplus of gametes, compared to females, monogamy seems an ineffective mating strategy for male individuals. Therefore, we are interested in biological constraints leading to monogamy in males of various animal species.

Literature
Wickler, Wolfgang & Seibt, Uta 1983: Monogamy: an ambiguous concept. pp. 33-50 In: Mate choice (P. Bateson ed.). Cambridge University Press

Wickler, Wolfgang & Seibt, Uta 1982: Fedeltà, monogamia e famiglia in un confronto socio-biologico. Controcultura 7, 10-11

Seibt, Uta & Wickler, Wolfgang 1981: Paarbildung und Paarbindung bei Krebsen. Biologie in unserer Zeit 11 (6), 161-168

Wickler, Wolfgang & Seibt, Uta 1981: Monogamy in crustacea and man. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 57, 215-234

Seibt, Uta & Wickler, Wolfgang 1973: The pairbond in some monogamous animals. Image Roche 1973, 2-7