scholarly journals Sperm competition differentially affects swimming velocity and size of spermatozoa from closely related muroid rodents: head first

Reproduction ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
pp. 819-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Gómez Montoto ◽  
María Varea Sánchez ◽  
Maximiliano Tourmente ◽  
Juan Martín-Coello ◽  
Juan José Luque-Larena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Sperm Head ◽  
Swimming Velocity ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Muroid Rodents ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed ◽  
Sperm Size ◽  
Head Area

Sperm competition favours an increase in sperm swimming velocity that maximises the chances that sperm will reach the ova before rival sperm and fertilise. Comparative studies have shown that the increase in sperm swimming speed is associated with an increase in total sperm size. However, it is not known which are the first evolutionary steps that lead to increases in sperm swimming velocity. Using a group of closely related muroid rodents that differ in levels of sperm competition, we here test the hypothesis that subtle changes in sperm design may represent early evolutionary changes that could make sperm swim faster. Our findings show that as sperm competition increases so does sperm swimming speed. Sperm swimming velocity is associated with the size of all sperm components. However, levels of sperm competition are only related to an increase in sperm head area. Such increase is a consequence of an increase in the length of the sperm head, and also of the presence of an apical hook in some of the species studied. These findings suggest that the presence of a hook may modify the sperm head in such a way that would help sperm swim faster and may also be advantageous if sperm with larger heads are better able to attach to the epithelial cells lining the lower isthmus of the oviduct where sperm remain quiescent before the final race to reach the site of fertilisation.

Sperm morphology of the Rattini – are the interspecific differences due to variation in intensity of intermale sperm competition?

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa Pahl ◽  
Hanna J. McLennan ◽  
Yun Wang ◽  
Anang S. Achmadi ◽  
Kevin C. Rowe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Sperm Morphology ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Sperm Head ◽  
Apical Hook ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Murine Rodent ◽  
Murine Rodents ◽  
Sperm Size

It is widely accepted that in mammals a causal relationship exists between postcopulatory sexual selection and relative testes mass of the species concerned, but how much it determines sperm size and shape is debatable. Here we detailed for the largest murine rodent tribe, the Rattini, the interspecific differences in relative testes mass and sperm form. We found that residual testes mass correlates with sperm head apical hook length as well as its angle, together with tail length, and that within several lineages a few species have evolved highly divergent sperm morphology with a reduced or absent apical hook and shorter tail. Although most species have a relative testes mass of 1–4%, these derived sperm traits invariably co-occur in species with much smaller relative testes mass. We therefore suggest that high levels of intermale sperm competition maintain a sperm head with a long apical hook and long tail, whereas low levels of intermale sperm competition generally result in divergent sperm heads with a short or non-existent apical hook and shorter tail. We thus conclude that sexual selection is a major selective force in driving sperm head form and tail length in this large tribe of murine rodents.

scholarly journals Sperm midpiece length predicts sperm swimming velocity in house mice

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée C. Firman ◽  
Leigh W. Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Sperm Morphology ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Swimming Velocity ◽  
Sperm Velocity ◽  
Sperm Midpiece ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk ◽  
Sperm Size ◽  
The Relationship

Evolutionary biologists have argued that there should be a positive relationship between sperm size and sperm velocity, and that these traits influence a male's sperm competitiveness. However, comparative analyses investigating the evolutionary associations between sperm competition risk and sperm morphology have reported inconsistent patterns of association, and in vitro sperm competition experiments have further confused the issue; in some species, males with longer sperm achieve more competitive fertilization, while in other species males with shorter sperm have greater sperm competitiveness. Few investigations have attempted to address this problem. Here, we investigated the relationship between sperm morphology and sperm velocity in house mice ( Mus domesticus ). We conducted in vitro sperm velocity assays on males from established selection lines, and found that sperm midpiece size was the only phenotypic predictor of sperm swimming velocity.

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.

Reduced sperm performance in backcross hybrids between species pairs of whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (7) ◽  
pp. 566-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Whiteley ◽  
K. N. Persaud ◽  
N. Derome ◽  
R. Montgomerie ◽  
L. Bernatchez
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
F1 Hybrids ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
External Fertilization ◽  
Isolating Mechanisms ◽  
Species Pairs ◽  
Backcross Hybrids ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed

Previous work has demonstrated that genomic incompatibilities work together with ecologically divergent selection to promote and maintain reproductive isolation between incipient species (dwarf and normal) of lake whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchill, 1818)). Whitefish spawn in groups with external fertilization, which creates conditions for strong sperm competition. In this study, we asked whether reduced sperm performance in hybrids from whitefish species-pair matings might contribute to postzygotic isolating mechanisms between these taxa. We examined two sperm traits, sperm swimming speed and flagellum length, in pure dwarf and normal whitefish and in their F1 and backcross hybrids. We observed significantly reduced sperm swimming speed in backcross but not in F1 hybrids. Sperm flagellum length was not significantly correlated with sperm swimming speed. These results demonstrate that F1 hybrids formed in nature should be capable of the same fertilization success as the parental species during sperm competition, everything else being equal. However, reduced sperm performance in the backcross generation is consistent with other evidence suggesting that genomic incompatibilities create a range of negative fitness effects in post-F1 whitefish hybrids and provides evidence for an additional postzygotic isolation mechanism involved in the incipient speciation of sympatric dwarf and normal whitefish.

scholarly journals Long sperm fertilize more eggs in a bird

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1799) ◽  
pp. 20141897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clair Bennison ◽  
Nicola Hemmings ◽  
Jon Slate ◽  
Tim Birkhead
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Fertilization Success ◽  
Swimming Velocity ◽  
Sperm Length ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Female Reproductive Traits ◽  
Sperm Size ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Main Factor

Sperm competition, in which the ejaculates of multiple males compete to fertilize a female's ova, results in strong selection on sperm traits. Although sperm size and swimming velocity are known to independently affect fertilization success in certain species, exploring the relationship between sperm length, swimming velocity and fertilization success still remains a challenge. Here, we use the zebra finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ), where sperm size influences sperm swimming velocity, to determine the effect of sperm total length on fertilization success. Sperm competition experiments, in which pairs of males whose sperm differed only in length and swimming speed, revealed that males producing long sperm were more successful in terms of (i) the number of sperm reaching the ova and (ii) fertilizing those ova. Our results reveal that although sperm length is the main factor determining the outcome of sperm competition, complex interactions between male and female reproductive traits may also be important. The mechanisms underlying these interactions are poorly understood, but we suggest that differences in sperm storage and utilization by females may contribute to the outcome of sperm competition.

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 Sperm head morphology is associated with sperm swimming speed: A comparative study of songbirds using electron microscopy

Evolution ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 1918-1932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Nyborg Støstad ◽  
Arild Johnsen ◽  
Jan Terje Lifjeld ◽  
Melissah Rowe
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Sperm Head ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed ◽  
Head Morphology

Sperm swimming speed and energetics vary with sperm competition risk in bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus )

2004 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Burness ◽  
Stephen J. Casselman ◽  
Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde ◽  
Christopher D. Moyes ◽  
Robert Montgomerie
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Sperm Competition Risk ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed

Collection frequency affects percent Y-chromosome bearing sperm, sperm head area and quality of bovine ejaculates

2002 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1327-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E Chandler ◽  
Anita M Canal ◽  
J.B Paul ◽  
E.B Moser
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sperm Head ◽  
Head Area

INCREASED AVERAGE OF SPERM HEAD AREA (ASHA) IS A NOVEL SPERM PARAMETER ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER INCIDENCE OF SPERM ANEUPLOIDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. e561
Author(s):  
Miguel Ruiz-Jorro ◽  
Minerva Ferrer-Buitrago ◽  
Juan Jesús Bataller-Sánchez ◽  
Antonio Barberá-Alberola ◽  
Xavier Vendrell-Montón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Head ◽  
Sperm Parameter ◽  
Sperm Aneuploidy ◽  
Head Area
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