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Hirst MA, Rodas-Martínez AZ, Milich KM, Cortés-Ortiz L. Differences in sperm morphology between Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra are consistent with the intensity of sperm competition in each species. Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23538. [PMID: 37487624 PMCID: PMC10528854 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
The intensity of sperm competition, in which sperm compete within the female reproductive tract to reach and fertilize her eggs, varies in species with different mating systems. Sperm competition is more intense in species where males cannot monopolize access to reproductive females and females mate with multiple males. In this scenario, a morphological change that increases the ability of sperm to reach and fertilize eggs should rapidly spread in the population, leading to sperm morphological differences between closely related species. Differences in sperm morphology have been reported among primate species with different mating systems. However, due to the inherent logistical and ethical difficulties to sample sperm from wild primates, the extent of variation in sperm morphology within species and among closely related species remains understudied. Here, we compared sperm morphological traits from two sister howler monkey species (Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra) that have different mating systems to investigate the effect of sperm competition on sperm morphological traits. We predicted that sperm from A. palliata, where females have more opportunities to mate with multiple males, would show differences in traits associated with increase sperm competitiveness compared to A. pigra where females mostly mate with the central male. We used linear mixed models to determine species differences in sperm morphology, controlling for individual variation. We found that midpieces and heads in A. palliata sperm were on average 26.2% and 11.0% longer, respectively, than those of A. pigra. Differences in these traits are important for sperm speed and hydrodynamic movement in other species and can affect fertilization success. This study provides empirical evidence of sperm morphological traits that evolved through sexual selection in sister primate species with different mating systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly A. Hirst
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109
| | - Alba Z. Rodas-Martínez
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, km 0.5 Carr. Villahermosa-Cárdenas S/N, entroque a Bosques de Saloya, 86039 Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
| | - Krista M. Milich
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
| | - Liliana Cortés-Ortiz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109
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2
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Vasconcelos Sampaio W, Leite Leão D, da Cunha Sousa P, Lima de Queiroz H, Farhayldes Souza Domingues S. Male fattening is related to increased seminal quality of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri collinsi): Implications for sperm competition. Am J Primatol 2021; 84:e23353. [PMID: 34855233 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Saimiri are neotropical primates with seasonal reproduction, males develop a seasonal fattening condition that has been suggested as a pre-copulatory sexual selection strategy. Furthermore, females mate with multiple males in the same season. This could also favor the evolution of a postcopulatory sexual strategy by sperm competition. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the fatted condition and advantageous seminal characteristics in Saimiri collinsi and evaluated its implications for sperm competition. Adult males (N = 10), aged 5-15 years, housed in mixed or only-male groups, were analyzed from June, 2015 to July, 2016. Measurements of weight, axilla, and arm skinfold, and testicular volume were taken monthly, and semen was collected by electroejaculation. A fattening index was developed to quantify and identify fatted males, biometrics, and seminal parameters were compared between the non-fatted and fatted conditions. The fatted males present a larger testicular volume. This is related to the increase in spermatogenic activity necessary to sustain a high ejaculation frequency during the mating season. An increase in seminal volume and in frequency of semen coagulation were detected in fatted males, advantages related to sperm protection in the female reproductive tract. Age and social context were not significant sources of variation for both morphological and seminal traits. A decrease in response from the fatted males in obtaining semen and an increase in the frequency of azoospermic ejaculates were observed. These unexpected results may be due to intense reproductive activities in a short period. The fattening phenomenon has many implications in the sexual selection of squirrel monkeys, and they are still not entirely unveiled. Our results corroborate the idea that, in S. collinsi, the fatted male condition is related to sexual selection, and we found evidence suggesting it may be also expressed by a post-copulatory component, sperm competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wlaisa Vasconcelos Sampaio
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Health and Production in the Amazon, Federal Rural University of the Amazon, Belém, Pará, Brazil.,Laboratory of Wild Animal Biotechnology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Pará, Castanhal, Pará, Brazil
| | - Danuza Leite Leão
- Laboratory of Wild Animal Biotechnology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Pará, Castanhal, Pará, Brazil.,Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Primatas Amazônicos do Instituto Mamirauá, Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Patrícia da Cunha Sousa
- Laboratory of Wild Animal Biotechnology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Pará, Castanhal, Pará, Brazil
| | - Helder Lima de Queiroz
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Primatas Amazônicos do Instituto Mamirauá, Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Sheyla Farhayldes Souza Domingues
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Health and Production in the Amazon, Federal Rural University of the Amazon, Belém, Pará, Brazil.,Laboratory of Wild Animal Biotechnology and Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Pará, Castanhal, Pará, Brazil.,Postgraduate Program in Animal Reproduction in the Amazon, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
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3
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Martinez G, Garcia C. Sexual selection and sperm diversity in primates. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 518:110974. [PMID: 32926966 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Many aspects of primate sperm physiology and reproductive behavior have been influenced by sexual selection, especially in taxa exposed to sperm competition where females mate with multiple partners. Primate sperm diversity reflects therefore the evolutionary divergences of the different primate species and the impact of a combination of variables exerting selection pressures on sperm form, function, and competition. Thereby, mating systems, life cycle or ecological variables are some of the important factors driving sperm diversity and explaining variation in terms of sperm morphology, parameters or male sexual characters. Here, we address primate sperm diversity through a compilation of all data available in the literature concerning primate sperm parameters and relationships between them. We also review the factors that can influence primate sperm diversity (e.g. mating systems, trade-off between investments in precopulatory and postcopulatory sexual traits, male and female sexual behaviors, seasonality, social constraints, testosterone levels), and discuss also their relevance to our understanding of human reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Martinez
- Hôpital Couple-Enfant, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble, UM de Génétique Chromosomique, F-38000, Grenoble, France; Genetic Epigenetic and Therapies of Infertility, Institute for Advanced Biosciences INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, F-38000, Grenoble, France.
| | - Cécile Garcia
- UMR 7206 Eco-anthropologie, CNRS - MNHN - Université de Paris, Musée de l'Homme, 75016, Paris, France.
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Steinberg ER, Sestelo AJ, Ceballos MB, Wagner V, Palermo AM, Mudry MD. Sperm Morphology in Neotropical Primates. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E839. [PMID: 31640171 PMCID: PMC6827008 DOI: 10.3390/ani9100839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The morphological and morphometric characterization of spermatozoa has been used as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool for different species of mammals. We evaluated and compared the sperm morphometry of five neotropical primate species: Alouatta caraya, Ateles belzebuth and Ateles chamek of family Atelidae; and Cebus cay (=Sapajus cay) and Cebus nigritus (=Sapajus nigritus) of family Cebidae. After the collection of semen samples, the following parameters were measured on 100 spermatozoa from each specimen: Head Length, Head Width, Acrosome Length, Midpiece Length, Midpiece Width and Tail Length. Considering the available literature on sperm morphometry, we gathered data of 75 individuals, from 20 species, 8 genera and 2 families. These data were superimposed on a phylogeny to infer the possible direction of evolutionary changes. Narrower and shorter spermatozoa seem to be the ancestral form for Cebidae, with a trend toward wider and larger heads in derived groups. The spermatozoa of Atelidae may show an increase in total length and midpiece length. Sperm heads would have become narrower in the more derived groups of Ateles. Sperm length may increase in the more derived species in both families. Our results are discussed in the context of sperm competition and sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana R Steinberg
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Evolutiva (GIBE), EGE, IEGEBA, CONICET, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pab II, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina.
| | - Adrián J Sestelo
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Reproductiva, Ecoparque Interactivo (ex ZOO de Buenos Aires), República de la India 3000, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
| | - María B Ceballos
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Reproductiva, Ecoparque Interactivo (ex ZOO de Buenos Aires), República de la India 3000, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina.
| | - Virginia Wagner
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Evolutiva (GIBE), EGE, IEGEBA, CONICET, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pab II, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina.
| | - Ana M Palermo
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Evolutiva (GIBE), EGE, IEGEBA, CONICET, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pab II, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina.
| | - Marta D Mudry
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Evolutiva (GIBE), EGE, IEGEBA, CONICET, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pab II, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina.
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Arakaki PR, Salgado PAB, Teixeira RHF, Rassy FB, de Barros Vaz Guimarães MA, Del Rio do Valle R. Testicular volume and semen characteristics in the endangered southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides). J Med Primatol 2019; 48:244-250. [PMID: 31087363 DOI: 10.1111/jmp.12418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides) is an endangered Neotropical primate. Semen collection and description of its traits, as well as testicular morphometry, have never been reported for this species. METHODS Testicles from five healthy adult captive southern muriqui were measured, and semen was collected by rectal probe electrostimulation (RPE). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS A solid coagulum was identified in all ejaculates, and none of them liquefied, spontaneously or non-spontaneously. It was possible to collect semen using RPE, and although solids coagula did not liquefy, we managed to describe ejaculates characteristics and also confirmed that southern muriqui have relatively large testes size. Further investigations are needed to improve coagulum handling, to achieve a better spermatozoa recovery aiming its application in assisted reproductive technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Rocha Arakaki
- Department of Animal Reproduction, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Rodrigo Hidalgo Friciello Teixeira
- Quinzinho de Barros Municipal Zoological Park, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Wild Animals, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Rodrigo Del Rio do Valle
- Institute of Health Sciences, Paulista University, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Biopesca Institute, Praia Grande, SP, Brazil
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Lima JS, Leão DL, Oliveira KG, Brito AB, Sampaio WV, Santos RR, Queiroz HL, Domingues SF. Seminal coagulation and sperm quality in different social contexts in captive tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella
). Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Revised: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julianne S. Lima
- Laboratory of Amazon Animal Biotechnology and Medicine; Federal University of Pará; Castanhal Para Brazil
- Animal Sciences Post-Graduation Program; Federal University of Pará; Belém Para Brazil
| | - Danuza L. Leão
- Laboratory of Amazon Animal Biotechnology and Medicine; Federal University of Pará; Castanhal Para Brazil
- Animal Health and Production in Amazon Post-Graduation Program; Federal Rural University of the Amazon; Belém Para Brazil
| | - Karol G. Oliveira
- Laboratory of Amazon Animal Biotechnology and Medicine; Federal University of Pará; Castanhal Para Brazil
- Animal Sciences Post-Graduation Program; Federal University of Pará; Belém Para Brazil
- National Primate Center; Ananindeua Para Brazil
| | - Adriel B. Brito
- Laboratory of Amazon Animal Biotechnology and Medicine; Federal University of Pará; Castanhal Para Brazil
- Animal Sciences Post-Graduation Program; Federal University of Pará; Belém Para Brazil
| | - Wlaisa V. Sampaio
- Laboratory of Amazon Animal Biotechnology and Medicine; Federal University of Pará; Castanhal Para Brazil
- Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development; Tefé Amazonas Brazil
| | - Regiane R. Santos
- Laboratory of Amazon Animal Biotechnology and Medicine; Federal University of Pará; Castanhal Para Brazil
- Animal Sciences Post-Graduation Program; Federal University of Pará; Belém Para Brazil
| | - Helder L. Queiroz
- Animal Sciences Post-Graduation Program; Federal University of Pará; Belém Para Brazil
- Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development; Tefé Amazonas Brazil
| | - Sheyla F. Domingues
- Laboratory of Amazon Animal Biotechnology and Medicine; Federal University of Pará; Castanhal Para Brazil
- Animal Sciences Post-Graduation Program; Federal University of Pará; Belém Para Brazil
- Animal Health and Production in Amazon Post-Graduation Program; Federal Rural University of the Amazon; Belém Para Brazil
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Testicular biometry and semen characteristics in captive and wild squirrel monkey species (Saimiri sp.). Theriogenology 2016; 86:879-887.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2016.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Revised: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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8
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Electroejaculation and semen buffer evaluation in the microbat Carollia perspicillata. Theriogenology 2015; 83:904-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2014.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2014] [Revised: 11/18/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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