Snail sperm production characteristics vary with sperm competition risk

Détails

ID Serval
serval:BIB_56818454E861
Type
Article: article d'un périodique ou d'un magazine.
Collection
Publications
Titre
Snail sperm production characteristics vary with sperm competition risk
Périodique
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences
Auteur⸱e⸱s
Oppliger Anne, Hosken D. J., Ribi G.
ISSN
0962-8452
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
1998
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
265
Numéro
1405
Pages
1527-1534
Langue
anglais
Résumé
Sperm competition is widespread and influences both male investment in spermatogenic tissue and ejaculate characteristics. Sperm competition models assume trade-offs between sperm size and number, although such trade-offs may be difficult to detect. This study examines the effects of sperm competition risk on the sperm production characteristics of the freshwater snail Viviparus ater. In this prosobranch, females mate frequently and store sperm, generating sperm competition. Males produce two sperm morphs, fertile eupyrene sperm and non-fertilizing oligopyrene sperm. Non-fertilizing sperm may play a role in sperm competition and therefore, like fertilizing sperm, the number produced could vary relative to sperm competition risk. In addition; trade-offs between sperm number and sperm size may be expected. We manipulated the sex ratio of sexually mature snails and found the presence of rivals affected the ratio of oligopyrene-eupyrene sperm males produced. In experimental and natural populations, the number of oligopyrene sperm produced, but not the number of eupyrene sperm, was significantly higher when the sex ratio was male biased. Testis mass did not vary between experimental treatments. We also found a negative relationship between the number and size of oligopyrene sperm produced, which is consistent with evolutionary models of sperm competition, and is, to our knowledge, the first intraspecific demonstration of a trade-off between these traits.
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Création de la notice
11/10/2011 13:01
Dernière modification de la notice
20/08/2019 15:10
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