scholarly journals Sperm quality and quantity evolve through different selective processes in the Phasianidae

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Bo Liao ◽  
Mao Jun Zhong ◽  
Stefan Lüpold
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Sperm Length ◽  
Sperm Number ◽  
Selective Force ◽  
Storage Duration ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Multivariate Traits

AbstractSperm competition is often considered the primary selective force underlying the rapid and diversifying evolution of ejaculate traits. Yet, several recent studies have drawn attention to other forms of selection with the potential of exceeding the effects of sperm competition. Since ejaculates are complex, multivariate traits, it seems plausible that different ejaculate components vary in their responses to different selective pressures. Such information, however, is generally lacking as individual ejaculate traits tend to be studied in isolation. Here, we studied the macroevolutionary patterns of ejaculate volume, sperm number, sperm length and the proportion of viable normal sperm in response to varying levels of sperm competition, body size and the duration of female sperm storage in pheasants and allies (Phasianidae). Ejaculate volume, sperm number and sperm viability were all relatively higher in polygamous than in monogamous mating systems. However, whereas ejaculate volume additionally covaried with body size, sperm number instead increased with the female sperm-storage duration, in conjunction with a decrease in sperm length. Overall, our results revealed important details on how different forms of selection can jointly shape ejaculates as complex, composite traits.

scholarly journals Male sperm storage impairs sperm quality in the zebrafish

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Cattelan ◽  
Clelia Gasparini
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Sperm Dna Fragmentation ◽  
Storage Duration ◽  
Male Sperm ◽  
Sperm Dna ◽  
Mating Opportunities ◽  
Experimental Protocols ◽  
Sperm Traits

AbstractVariation in sperm traits is widely documented both at inter- and intraspecific level. However, sperm traits vary also between ejaculates of the same male, due for example, to fluctuations in female availability. Variability in the opportunities to mate can indeed have important consequences for sperm traits, as it determines how often sperm are used, and thus the rate at which they are produced and how long they are stored before the mating. While being stored within males’ bodies, sperm are subjected to ageing due to oxidative stress. Sperm storage may significantly impair sperm quality, but evidence linking male sperm storage and variation in sperm traits is still scarce. Here, we tested the effect of the duration of sperm storage on within-male variation in sperm traits in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. We found that without mating opportunities, sperm number increased as storage duration increased, indicating that sperm continue to be produced and accumulate over time within males without being discharged in another way. Long sperm storage (12 days) was associated with an overall impairment in sperm quality, namely sperm motility, sperm longevity, and sperm DNA fragmentation, indicating that sperm aged, and their quality declined during storage. Our results confirm that male sperm storage may generate substantial variation in sperm phenotype, a source of variation which is usually neglected but that should be accounted for in experimental protocols aiming to assay sperm traits or maximise fertilization success.

scholarly journals Team swimming in ant spermatozoa

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 20140308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Pearcy ◽  
Noémie Delescaille ◽  
Pascale Lybaert ◽  
Serge Aron
Keyword(s):  
Selective Pressure ◽  
Multiple Mating ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Sperm Cells ◽  
Sperm Length ◽  
Sperm Number ◽  
Storage Organ ◽  
Selective Force ◽  
Remarkable Case ◽  
Desert Ant

In species where females mate promiscuously, competition between ejaculates from different males to fertilize the ova is an important selective force shaping many aspects of male reproductive traits, such as sperm number, sperm length and sperm–sperm interactions. In eusocial Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants), males die shortly after mating and their reproductive success is ultimately limited by the amount of sperm stored in the queen's spermatheca. Multiple mating by queens is expected to impose intense selective pressure on males to optimize the transfer of sperm to the storage organ. Here, we report a remarkable case of cooperation between spermatozoa in the desert ant Cataglyphis savignyi . Males ejaculate bundles of 50–100 spermatozoa. Sperm bundles swim on average 51% faster than solitary sperm cells. Team swimming is expected to increase the amount of sperm stored in the queen spermatheca and, ultimately, enhance male posthumous fitness.

Sperm competition and fertilization success in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua): effect of sire size and condition factor on gamete quality

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 2315-2323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Rakitin ◽  
Moira M Ferguson ◽  
Edward A Trippel
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Single Female ◽  
Male Condition

Sperm competition experiments were conducted to test the null hypothesis that sperm quality is not affected by male body size in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Genetic markers (allozymes) were used to determine the proportion of larvae sired by pairs of males when their sperm was combined with eggs of a single female simultaneously. Significant differences in fertilization success between males were not explained by differences in body size. Fertilization success was positively associated with male condition factor (K) and with spermatozoa density in each male's semen when equal volumes of semen from each male were used. Male K was positively associated with male fertilization success when the volume of semen used from each male was adjusted to add approximately equal numbers of spermatozoa from each male. The relative fertilization success of males varied depending on which female was the egg donor, suggesting that female "choice" at the gamete level may be occurring in cod.

COMPARATIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE EVOLUTION OF SPERM SWIMMING SPEED BY SPERM COMPETITION AND FEMALE SPERM STORAGE DURATION IN PASSERINE BIRDS

Evolution ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2466-2473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oddmund Kleven ◽  
Frode Fossøy ◽  
Terje Laskemoen ◽  
Raleigh J. Robertson ◽  
Geir Rudolfsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Storage Duration ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed

scholarly journals Efektivitas Waktu Penyimpanan Sperma Ikan Komet (Carassium auratus auratus) dalam Larutan NaCl terhadap Derajat Pembuahan

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Fia Sri Mumpuni ◽  
Yudi Pamoris
Keyword(s):  
Storage Time ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Storage Period ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Nacl Solution ◽  
Storage Duration ◽  
Randomized Design ◽  
Completely Randomized Design

The research was conducted to determine the effect of storage time in 0.9% NaCl solution on sperm quality and the degree of fertilization goldfish, using a completely randomized design with 7 treatments consisting of sperm storage duration 0 hours, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours, and 12 hours with 3 replications. The result showed that the goldfish sperm storage duration 2 hours still has a higher value of motility and the degree of fertilization. While the value of motility and the degree of fertilization lowest found in sperm storage duration of 12 hours. The deadlinefor sperm storage period goldfish 6 hours still have good motility value of 60% so it still possible for the process of fertilization and hatching.

scholarly journals Functional morphology of immature mating in a widow spider

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Sentenská ◽  
Aileen Neumann ◽  
Yael Lubin ◽  
Gabriele Uhl
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Sperm Transfer ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Micro Computed Tomography ◽  
Mating Tactics ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Widow Spider

Abstract Background Mating generally occurs after individuals reach adulthood. In many arthropods including spiders, the adult stage is marked by a final moult after which the genitalia are fully developed and functional. In several widow spider species (genus Latrodectus), however, immature females may mate a few days before they moult to adulthood, i.e. in their late-subadult stage. While the “adult” mating typically results in cannibalism, males survive the “immature” mating. During both “immature” and “adult” matings, males leave parts of their paired copulatory organs within female genitalia, which may act as mating plugs. To study potential costs and benefits of the two mating tactics, we investigated female genital morphology of the brown widow spider, L. geometricus. Light microscopy, histology and micro-computed tomography of early-subadult, late-subadult and adult females were conducted to determine the overall pattern of genital maturation. We compared genitalia of mated late-subadult and adult females to reveal potential differences in the genitalic details that might indicate differential success in sperm transfer and different environments for sperm storage and sperm competition. Results We found that the paired sperm storage organs (spermathecae) and copulatory ducts are developed already in late-subadult females and host sperm after immature mating. However, the thickness of the spermathecal cuticle and the staining of the secretions inside differ significantly between the late-subadult and adult females. In late-subadult females mating plugs were found with higher probability in both spermathecae compared to adult females. Conclusions Sperm transfer in matings with late-subadult females follows the same route as in matings with adult females. The observed differences in the secretions inside the spermathecae of adult and late-subadult females likely reflect different storage conditions for the transferred sperm which may lead to a disadvantage under sperm competition if the subadult female later re-mates with another male. However, since males mating with late-subadult females typically transfer sperm to both spermathecae they might benefit from numerical sperm competition as well as from monopolizing access to the female sperm storage organs. The assessment of re-mating probability and relative paternity will clarify the costs and benefits of the two mating tactics in light of these findings.

How biases in sperm storage relate to sperm use during oviposition in female yellow dung flies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Demont ◽  
Paul I Ward ◽  
Wolf U Blanckenhorn ◽  
Stefan Lüpold ◽  
Oliver Y Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Adaptive Plasticity ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Scathophaga Stercoraria ◽  
General Importance ◽  
Copula Duration ◽  
Mixed Paternity ◽  
Paternity Success ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Precise mechanisms underlying sperm storage and utilization are largely unknown, and data directly linking stored sperm to paternity remain scarce. We used competitive microsatellite PCR to study the effects of female morphology, copula duration and oviposition on the proportion of stored sperm provided by the second of two copulating males (S2) in Scathophaga stercoraria (Diptera: Scathophagidae), the classic model for sperm competition studies. We genotyped all offspring from potentially mixed-paternity clutches to establish the relationship between a second male’s stored sperm (S2) and paternity success (P2). We found consistent skew in sperm storage across the three female spermathecae, with relatively more second-male sperm stored in the singlet spermatheca than in the doublet spermathecae. S2 generally decreased with increasing spermathecal size, consistent with either heightened first-male storage in larger spermathecae, or less efficient sperm displacement in them. Additionally, copula duration and several two-way interactions influenced S2, highlighting the complexity of postcopulatory processes and sperm storage. Importantly, S2 and P2 were strongly correlated. Manipulation of the timing of oviposition strongly influenced observed sperm-storage patterns, with higher S2 when females laid no eggs before being sacrificed than when they oviposited between copulations, an observation consistent with adaptive plasticity in insemination. Our results identified multiple factors influencing sperm storage, nevertheless suggesting that the proportion of stored sperm is strongly linked to paternity (i.e., a fair raffle). Even more detailed data in this vein are needed to evaluate the general importance of sperm competition relative to cryptic female choice in postcopulatory sexual selection.

scholarly journals Penis size and sperm quality, are all bats grey in the dark?

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Jean Fasel ◽  
Marta Kołodziej-Sobocińska ◽  
Ewa Komar ◽  
Marcin Zegarek ◽  
Ireneusz Ruczyński
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Copulatory Behavior ◽  
Scaling Relations ◽  
Head Width ◽  
Sperm Velocity ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Penis Size ◽  
Penis Length ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Myotis Nattereri

Abstract Penises play a key role in sperm transport and in stimulating female genitals. This should impact post-copulatory competition, and expose penis characteristics to sexual selective pressures. Studies of male genitalia have repeatedly reported negative static allometries, which mean that, within species, large males have disproportionally small genitals when compared with smaller individuals. Males of some sperm-storing bat species may stand as an exception to such a pattern by arousing from hibernation to copulate with torpid females. The selection for large penises might take place, if a long organ provides advantages during post-copulatory competition and/or if females have evolved mechanisms allowing the choice of sire, relying on characters other than pre-copulatory traits (e.g., penis size). In this study, we measured dimensions of the erected penis in 4 sperm-storing bat species. Furthermore, we collected sperm and evaluated the link between penis dimensions and sperm velocity. Our results revealed steep allometric slopes of the erected penis length in Barbastella barbastellus and an inverse allometry of penis head width in Myotis nattereri. More detailed studies of copulatory behavior are urgently needed to explain the range of observed scaling relations. Furthermore, penis head width correlates with sperm velocity in Plecotus auritus. For this last species, we propose that penis shape might act as a marker of male fertility.

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