scholarly journals Acp36DE is required for uterine conformational changes in mated Drosophila females

2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (37) ◽  
pp. 15796-15800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank W. Avila ◽  
Mariana F. Wolfner
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Internal Fertilization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Subsequent Storage ◽  
And Behavior

In a multitude of animals with internal fertilization, including insects and mammals, sperm are stored within a female's reproductive tract after mating. Defects in the process of sperm storage drastically reduce reproductive success. In Drosophila males, “Acp” seminal proteins alter female postmating physiology and behavior, and are necessary for several aspects of sperm storage. For example, Acps cause a series of conformational changes in the mated female's reproductive tract that occur during and immediately after mating. These conformational changes have been hypothesized to aid both in the movement of sperm within the female and in the subsequent storage of those sperm. We used RNAi to systematically knock down several Acps involved in sperm storage to determine whether they played a role in the mating-induced uterine conformational changes. Mates of males lacking the glycoprotein Acp36DE, which is needed for the accumulation of sperm in the storage organs, fail to complete the full sequence of the conformational changes. Our results show that uterine conformational changes are important for proper accumulation of sperm in storage and identify a seminal protein that mediates these changes. Four Acps included in this study, previously shown to affect sperm release from storage (CG9997, CG1656, CG1652, and CG17575), are not necessary for uterine conformational changes to occur. Rather, consistent with their role in later steps of sperm storage, we show here that their presence can affect the outcome of sperm competition situations.

Multiple Matings and Sperm Competition

2020 ◽  
pp. 332-363
Author(s):  
Carola Becker ◽  
Raymond T. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Internal Fertilization ◽  
Multiple Matings ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Anatomical Adaptations ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Molecular Aspects

In polyandrous mating systems, females mate multiple times and males have evolved adaptations for sperm competition which increase the number and fitness of their offspring. Mate guarding is a widespread monopolization strategy in groups where female receptivity is temporally restricted and often associated with the molt. Precopulatory guarding occurs in branchipods, copepods, peracarids and decapods. Postcopulatory guarding is notable in numerous brachyurans with males protecting females until her exoskeleton has hardened. During copulation, male success in fertilization depends on an effective sperm transfer mechanism, the precise placement of ejaculates closest to where female gametes are fertilized. Male copulatory systems are highly diverse and strongly adapted to these tasks, especially the structures that interact with the female genital ducts. The elaborate tips of brachyuran gonopods are supposed to act in the displacement, possibly even in the removal of rival sperm masses; however, sperm removal is only evident in crayfish: males eat spermatophores previously deposited by other males. During copulation of several crustacean groups, males transfer secretions that harden and form a sealant. These sperm plugs, plaques and gel layers may protect their own sperm, prevent remating or seal off rival sperm from the site of fertilization. Several groups of isopods and decapods have internal insemination, elaborate sperm storage organs and some exhibit internal fertilization. The intensity of sperm competition increases with the latency between the processes of insemination and fertilization. This chapter gives on overview on mate guarding, male sealants and the anatomical adaptations to sperm competition in crustaceans. We also briefly discuss the consequences of multiple matings for the genetic diversity of broods, i.e., single vs. multiple paternities. There is still a lack of data for many crustacean groups. Moreover, it is often hard to assess how successful a male strategy to ensure paternity actually is as many studies focus on either the behavioral, anatomical, or molecular aspects, while comprehensive multi-level studies on crustacean sperm competition are virtually absent from the literature.

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.

scholarly journals Do spermathecal morphology and inter-mating interval influence paternity in the polyandrous beetle Tribolium castaneum?

Behaviour ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 143 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludovic Arnaud ◽  
Giorgina Bernasconi ◽  
Yves Brostaux ◽  
Eric P. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Phenotypic Marker ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Different Strains

AbstractIn polyandrous insects, postcopulatory sexual selection is a pervasive evolutionary force favouring male and female traits that allow control of offspring paternity. Males may influence paternity through adaptations for sperm competition, and females through adaptations facilitating cryptic female choice. Yet, the mechanisms are often complex, involving behaviour, physiology or morphology, and they are difficult to identify. In red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum), paternity varies widely, and evidence suggests that both male and female traits influence the outcome of sperm competition. To test the role of spermathecal morphology and of sperm storage processes on the outcome of sperm competition, we mated each of 26 virgin females with two males, one of which carrying a phenotypic marker to assign offspring paternity. We manipulated the interval between mating with the first and the second male, to create different conditions of sperm storage (overlapping and non-overlapping) in the female reproductive tract. To investigate the role of sperm storage more closely, we examined the relationship between paternity and spermathecal morphology in a subset of 14 experimental females. In addition, we also characterized variation in spermathecal morphology in three different strains, wildtype, Chicago black and Reindeer. No significant influence of the intermating interval was found on the paternity of the focal male, although the direction of the difference was in the expected direction of higher last male paternity for longer intervals. Moreover, paternity was not significantly associated with spermathecal morphology, although spermathecal volume, complexity, and tubule width varied significantly and substantially among individuals in all investigated strains.

scholarly journals Sperm gatekeeping: 3D imaging reveals a constricted entrance to zebra finch sperm storage tubules

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Mendonca ◽  
A. J. Cadby ◽  
N. Hemmings
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Sperm Storage Tubules

AbstractFemales across many internally fertilising taxa store sperm, often in specialised storage organs in their reproductive tracts. In birds, several hundred sperm storage tubules exist in the utero-vaginal junction of the oviduct and there is growing evidence that sperm storage in these tubules is selective. The mechanisms underlying female sperm storage in birds remain unknown due to our limited ability to make three dimensional, live observations inside the large, muscular avian oviduct. Here, we describe a new application of fluorescence selective plane illumination microscopy to optically section oviduct tissue from zebra finchTaeniopygia guttatafemales label-free, by harnessing tissue autofluorescence. Our data provide the first description of the 3D structure of sperm storage organs in any vertebrate and reveal the presence of gate-like constricted openings that may play a role in sperm selection.Statement of SignificanceFemale birds can store sperm in microscopic tubular structures in their reproductive tract for up to several months, depending on species. Studying these sperm storage tubules has been a major challenge due to the muscular and opaque nature of reproductive tracts in birds. We have developed a new method for imaging live reproductive tract tissue using selective plane illumination microscopy, a fluorescence microscopy technique. From these images, we could extract three-dimensional measurements of sperm storage tubules and found these structures to have a gate-like constriction, providing evidence that females can actively select sperm at storage and ultimately influence the paternity of her offspring. Understanding these reproductive adaptations can help improve captive breeding programs and similar conservation strategies.

scholarly journals Structural variation in Drosophila melanogaster spermathecal ducts and its association with sperm competition dynamics

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 200130
Author(s):  
Ben R. Hopkins ◽  
Irem Sepil ◽  
Stuart Wigby
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Structural Variation ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Distal Portion ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Spermathecal Duct ◽  
Male Sperm ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Single Mating

The ability of female insects to retain and use sperm for days, months, or even years after mating requires specialized storage organs in the reproductive tract. In most orders, these organs include a pair of sclerotized capsules known as spermathecae. Here, we report that some Drosophila melanogaster females exhibit previously uncharacterized structures within the distal portion of the muscular duct that links a spermatheca to the uterus. We find that these ‘spermathecal duct presences' (SDPs) may form in either or both ducts and can extend from the duct into the sperm-storing capsule itself. We further find that the incidence of SDPs varies significantly between genotypes, but does not change significantly with the age or mating status of females, the latter indicating that SDPs are not composed of or stimulated by sperm or male seminal proteins. We show that SDPs affect neither the number of first male sperm held in a spermatheca nor the number of offspring produced after a single mating. However, we find evidence that SDPs are associated with a lack of second male sperm in the spermathecae after females remate. This raises the possibility that SDPs provide a mechanism for variation in sperm competition outcome among females.

scholarly journals Sperm competition in squamate reptiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1813) ◽  
pp. 20200079
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Friesen ◽  
Ariel F. Kahrl ◽  
Mats Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Function ◽  
Sperm Size

Multiple paternity is ubiquitous within the polyphyletic group called ‘reptiles', especially within the lizards and snakes. Therefore, the probability of sperm competition occurring, and being intense, is high. Squamates exhibit a diversity of tactics to ensure fertilization success in the face of sperm competition. The duration of female sperm storage, which can be many months and even years in some species, remains an enigma. Here, we emphasize some mechanisms that might affect patterns of paternity, the source and function of ejaculates and features of the female reproductive tract that may aid in long-term sperm storage. In doing so, we present a new analysis of the relationship between sperm size, the strength of sperm competition and the duration of female sperm storage. Lizards and snakes are a diverse group that has provided many excellent models for the study of an array of life-history strategies. However, when it comes to postcopulatory sexual selection, there is much left to discover. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition'.

Detection of multiple paternity and sperm storage in a captive colony of the central Asian tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily E. Johnston ◽  
Matthew S. Rand ◽  
Stephan G. Zweifel
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Male Reproductive Success ◽  
Critical Measure ◽  
Central Asian

Reproductive success is a critical measure of an organism’s fitness. Determining reproductive success in vertebrates is confounded by the concealed mechanism and timing of fertilization (e.g., sperm competition and storage). To assess the relationship between observed mating behavior and reproductive success in the central Asian tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844, we determined individual genotypes from a captive colony of adults and their offspring. We constructed a size-selected genomic library from T. horsfieldii and screened for polymorphic microsatellite markers. The screen resulted in identification of two novel microsatellite regions. Cross-species amplification of microsatellite markers using primers developed for the bog turtle, Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Schoepff, 1801), resulted in isolation of three additional polymorphic microsatellites for T. horsfieldii. The five loci, which have between 5 and 17 alleles and observed heterozygosities between 0.44 and 0.90, were used to determine the frequency of multiple paternity in the captive colony. We found evidence for multiple paternity in 27% of the clutches examined, as well as evidence for overwinter sperm storage and variance in adult male reproductive success. These data indicate that ample opportunity exists for sperm competition and female mate choice in T. horsfieldii.

scholarly journals Copulation with immature females increases male fitness in cannibalistic widow spiders

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 20160516 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Daniela Biaggio ◽  
Iara Sandomirsky ◽  
Yael Lubin ◽  
Ally R. Harari ◽  
Maydianne C. B. Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Reproductive Value ◽  
Male Fitness ◽  
Mating Tactic ◽  
Final Moult ◽  
Storage Organs

Copulatory cannibalism of male ‘widow’ spiders (genus Latrodectus ) is a model example of the extreme effects of sexual selection, particularly in L. hasselti and L. geometricus where males typically facilitate cannibalism by females and mate only once. We show that these males can increase their reproductive success by copulating with final-instar, immature females after piercing the female's exoskeleton to access her newly developed sperm storage organs. Females retain sperm through their final moult and have similar fecundity to adult-mated females. This is an adaptive male tactic because immature mating increases insemination success relative to adult mating (which predicts higher paternity) and moreover, rarely ends in cannibalism, so males can mate again. Although successful only during a brief period before the female's final moult, males may employ this tactic when they associate with final-instar females in nature. Consistent with this, one-third of L. hasselti females collected as immatures in nature were already mated. Immature mating alters sexual selection on these otherwise monogynous males, and may explain male traits allowing facultative polygyny in Latrodectus . Since male cohabitation with immature females is common among invertebrates, immature mating may be a widespread, previously unrecognized mating tactic, particularly when unmated females are of high reproductive value.

scholarly journals Reproductive consequences of an extra long-term sperm storage organ

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akashdeep Dhillon ◽  
Tabashir Chowdhury ◽  
Yolanda E. Morbey ◽  
Amanda J. Moehring
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Candidate Gene ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Sperm Storage ◽  
Female Fitness ◽  
Storage Organ ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Reproductive Consequences

Abstract Background Sperm storage plays a key role in the reproductive success of many sexually-reproducing organisms, and the capacity of long-term sperm storage varies across species. While there are theoretical explanations for why such variation exists, to date there are no controlled empirical tests of the reproductive consequences of additional long-term sperm storage. While Dipterans ancestrally have three long-term sperm organs, known as the spermathecae, Drosophila contain only two. Results We identified a candidate gene, which we call spermathreecae (sp3), in which a disruption cause the development of three functional spermathecae rather than the usual two in Drosophila. We used this disruption to test the reproductive consequences of having an additional long-term sperm storage organ. Compared to females with two spermathecae, females with three spermathecae store a greater total number of sperm and can produce offspring a greater length of time. However, they did not produce a greater total number of offspring. Conclusions Thus, additional long-term sperm storage in insects may increase female fitness through extending the range of conditions where she produces offspring, or through increasing the quality of offspring via enhanced local sperm competition at fertilization.

scholarly journals Structural variation in Drosophila melanogaster spermathecal ducts and its association with sperm competition dynamics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben R. Hopkins ◽  
Irem Sepil ◽  
Stuart Wigby
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Structural Variation ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Distal Portion ◽  
Mating Status ◽  
Spermathecal Duct ◽  
Male Sperm ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Single Mating

AbstractThe ability of female insects to retain and use sperm for days, months, or even years after mating requires specialised storage organs in the reproductive tract. In most orders these organs include a pair of sclerotised capsules known as spermathecae. Here, we report that some Drosophila melanogaster females exhibit previously uncharacterised structures within the distal portion of the muscular duct that links a spermatheca to the uterus. We find that these ‘spermathecal duct presences’ (SDPs) may form in either or both ducts and can extend from the duct into the sperm-storing capsule itself. We further find that the incidence of SDPs varies significantly between genotypes, but does not change significantly with the age or mating status of females, the latter indicating that SDPs are not composed of or stimulated by sperm or male seminal proteins. We show that SDPs affect neither the number of first male sperm held in a spermatheca nor the number of offspring produced after a single mating. However, we find evidence that SDPs are associated with a lack of second male sperm in the spermathecae after females remate. This raises the possibility that SDPs provide a mechanism for variation in sperm competition outcome among females.

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