Sperm traits in Chinook salmon depend upon activation medium: implications for studies of sperm competition in fishes

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
pp. 920-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Rosengrave ◽  
R. Montgomerie ◽  
V. J. Metcalf ◽  
K. McBride ◽  
N. J. Gemmell
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Ovarian Fluid ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed ◽  
Sperm Traits

Sperm traits of externally fertilizing fish species are typically measured in fresh (or salt) water, even though the spawning environment of their ova contains ovarian fluid. In this study, we measured sperm traits of Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum in Artedi, 1792)) in both fresh water and dilute ovarian fluid at 10 and 20 s postactivation, using a computer-assisted sperm analysis system. Spermatozoa swam faster, and had both higher percent motility and a straighter path trajectory for a longer period of forward motility when activated in ovarian fluid compared with activation in fresh water. Comparing sperm activity of 10 males in water versus ovarian fluid, we found a weak but significant correlation for sperm swimming speed at 10 s postactivation (r = 0.34, p = 0.01), but not for any other sperm traits measured. Most important, across males, mean sperm swimming speed in water accounted for <10% of the observed variation in mean sperm swimming speed in ovarian fluid. Thus, we argue that sperm traits measured in fresh water are not particularly relevant to those same traits during normal spawning in this species. We suggest that sperm performance measured in fresh water should be used with caution when comparing the potential for individual males to fertilize ova, especially in studies of sperm competition in externally fertilizing species.

scholarly journals Delineating the roles of males and females in sperm competition

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1772) ◽  
pp. 20132047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Evans ◽  
Patrice Rosengrave ◽  
Clelia Gasparini ◽  
Neil J. Gemmell
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Swimming Velocity ◽  
Ovarian Fluid ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Paternity Success

Disentangling the relative roles of males, females and their interactive effects on competitive fertilization success remains a challenge in sperm competition. In this study, we apply a novel experimental framework to an ideally suited externally fertilizing model system in order to delineate these roles. We focus on the chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha , a species in which ovarian fluid (OF) has been implicated as a potential arbiter of cryptic female choice for genetically compatible mates. We evaluated this predicted sexually selected function of OF using a series of factorial competitive fertilization trials. Our design involved a series of 10 factorial crosses, each involving two ‘focal’ rival males whose sperm competed against those from a single ‘standardized’ (non-focal) rival for a genetically uniform set of eggs in the presence of OF from two focal females. This design enabled us to attribute variation in competitive fertilization success among focal males, females (OF) and their interacting effects, while controlling for variation attributable to differences in the sperm competitive ability of rival males, and male-by-female genotypic interactions. Using this experimental framework, we found that variation in sperm competitiveness could be attributed exclusively to differences in the sperm competitive ability of focal males, a conclusion supported by subsequent analyses revealing that variation in sperm swimming velocity predicts paternity success. Together, these findings provide evidence that variation in paternity success can be attributed to intrinsic differences in the sperm competitive ability of rival males, and reveal that sperm swimming velocity is a key target of sexual selection.

Migration and rearing histories of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) determined by ion microprobe Sr isotope and Sr/Ca transects of otoliths

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 2425-2439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R Bacon ◽  
Peter K Weber ◽  
Kimberly A Larsen ◽  
Reginald Reisenbichler ◽  
John A Fitzpatrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuation ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Ion Microprobe ◽  
Skagit River

Strontium isotope and Sr/Ca ratios measured in situ by ion microprobe along radial transects of otoliths of juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) vary between watersheds with contrasting geology. Otoliths from ocean-type chinook from Skagit River estuary, Washington, had prehatch regions with 87Sr/86Sr ratios of ~0.709, suggesting a maternally inherited marine signature, extensive fresh water growth zones with 87Sr/86Sr ratios similar to those of the Skagit River at ~0.705, and marine-like 87Sr/86Sr ratios near their edges. Otoliths from stream-type chinook from central Idaho had prehatch 87Sr/86Sr ratios ≥0.711, indicating that a maternal marine Sr isotopic signature is not preserved after the ~1000- to 1400-km migration from the Pacific Ocean. 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the outer portions of otoliths from these Idaho juveniles were similar to those of their respective streams (~0.708–0.722). For Skagit juveniles, fresh water growth was marked by small decreases in otolith Sr/Ca, with increases in Sr/Ca corresponding to increases in 87Sr/86Sr with migration into salt water. Otoliths of Idaho fish had Sr/Ca radial variation patterns that record seasonal fluctuation in ambient water Sr/Ca ratios. The ion microprobe's ability to measure both 87Sr/86Sr and Sr/Ca ratios of otoliths at high spatial resolution in situ provides a new tool for studies of fish rearing and migration.

Repeat sexual maturation of precocious male chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) transferred to seawater

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Bernier ◽  
Daniel D. Heath ◽  
David J. Randall ◽  
George K. Iwama
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Culture Conditions ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Salmon Parr ◽  
And Control

Precocious sexual maturation in salmonid parr occurs under both wild and culture conditions. We investigated the possibility of repeat maturation in precocious chinook salmon parr from the Nicola River, British Columbia. Precocious and immature (control) yearling parr were reared in fresh water from March 1990 to mid-June, and then transferred to salt water (29–30 ppt) until September 1990. The precocious parr were significantly larger than the controls from March to July and there were no differences in relative growth rate between the groups throughout the study. Total mortalities were 45.7 and 5.9% for precocious and control fish, respectively. All of the precocious, but none of the control fish, produced milt in March in fresh water. None of the fish produced milt soon after the transfer to salt water in June, but all precocious fish and 18.8% of the controls produced milt in September. There were no significant differences in the average plasma concentrations of Na+, Cl−, and cortisol between groups in September, suggesting that both precocious parr and control groups were saltwater competent. These data demonstrate that male precocious chinook salmon parr have the physiological capability to mature more than once in seawater.

Stress and saltwater-entry behavior of juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): conflicts in physiological motivation

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 910-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Seals Price ◽  
Carl B Schreck
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Juvenile Chinook Salmon ◽  
Predator Model ◽  
Entry Behavior ◽  
Severe Stressor

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of a mild or severe stressor on the saltwater preference of juvenile spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). To observe the response of fish to an overhead threat, we presented stressed fish with an avian predator model in the second experiment. Experiments were conducted in 757-L tanks containing a stable vertical salinity gradient. Only 69% of fish stressed by being chased for 2 min before saltwater introduction (mild stressor) held in salt water, whereas 95% of unchased control fish preferred the saltwater layer. After the more severe handling and confinement stressor, only 20% of fish entered and remained in salt water compared with 100% of unstressed controls. After the presentation of the avian model, stressed fish holding in fresh water moved into the saltwater layer, but this behavioral response was transient. Fish began returning to fresh water within 10 min, and after 1 h, only 26% of stressed fish remained in the saltwater layer. Stress significantly decreases the saltwater preference of chinook salmon that would otherwise select full-strength salt water and may affect behavior in the estuary. Although smoltification primes these fish for seawater residence, stress apparently induced a conflicting physiological motivation.

Author response for "Ovarian fluid proteome variation associates with sperm swimming speed in an externally fertilising fish"

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheri L. Johnson ◽  
Kirill Borziak ◽  
Torsten Kleffmann ◽  
Patrice Rosengrave ◽  
Steve Dorus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Author Response ◽  
Ovarian Fluid ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed

Food and Habitat Utilization by Juvenile Salmonids in the Campbell River Estuary

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1233-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Stevenson Macdonald ◽  
I. K. Birtwell ◽  
G. M. Kruzynski
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Water Velocity ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Marine Influence ◽  
Outer Estuary

Salmonid behaviour and abundance in several microhabitats within the Campbell River estuary was observed monthly, from May to July, by divers using snorkels and face masks. Concurrent vertical profiles of physical and biological parameters at each microhabitat were taken to characterize habitats frequented by the fish. Data were collected at high and low tide to record behavioural reactions to changes in water velocity, salinity, and temperature associated with tidal height and salt wedge intrusion. Samples of plankton collected at each microhabitat were compared with stomach contents of salmonids caught nearby to determine if interspecific differences in diet could be correlated with differences in the habitats they occupied. Fish occurred in loose assemblages, aligned with the current, feeding near estuarine banks. As water velocities increased with the ebbing tide, the fish concentrated in a shear region near the mouth of a slough and behind large rocks and submerged vegetation. At both high and low tide, larger coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (usually hatchery reared) were in deeper, frequently more saline water and further from shore than the smaller conspecifics. Hatchery chinook, however, were also seen in sloughs where water velocity was low. Marine influence as reflected in plankton composition and salmonid diet was greater in the outer estuary and in the deep salt water that intrudes the inner regions of the estuary. Differences in the habitats occupied by the fish were reflected in differences in their diets.

scholarly journals Male–female relatedness at specific SNP-linkage groups influences cryptic female choice in Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha )

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1859) ◽  
pp. 20170853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Geßner ◽  
Sheri L. Johnson ◽  
Paul Fisher ◽  
Shannon Clarke ◽  
Kim Rutherford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Female Choice ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Cryptic Female Choice ◽  
Linkage Groups ◽  
Sperm Velocity ◽  
Ovarian Fluid ◽  
The Impact

In a range of taxa, the relatedness between mates influences both pre- and post-mating processes of sexual selection. However, relatively little is known about the genetic loci facilitating such a bias, with the exception of the major histocompatibility complex. Here, we performed tightly controlled replicated in vitro fertilization trials to explore the impact of relatedness on two possible mechanisms of cryptic female choice (CFC) in Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ). We tested (i) whether relatedness of mates, assessed using 682 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on 29 SNP-linkage groups (LGs), biases a male's sperm velocity in ovarian fluid (a parameter previously shown to predict male fertilization success), and (ii) whether relatedness of mates governs fertilization success via other mechanisms, probably via sperm–egg interactions. We found that relatedness on three LGs explained the variation in sperm velocity, and relatedness on two LGs explained fertilization success, which might indicate the presence of genes important in sperm–ovarian fluid and sperm–egg interactions in these genomic regions. Mapping of the SNPs on these LGs to the rainbow trout genome revealed two genes that affect fertility in humans and represent candidate genes for further studies. Our results thereby provide a novel contribution to the understanding of the mechanism of CFC.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document