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Pinzoni L, Locatello L, Gasparini C, Rasotto MB. Female reproductive fluid and male seminal fluid: a non-gametic conflict for post-mating control. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230306. [PMID: 37752852 PMCID: PMC10523087 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0306] [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: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence shows that non-gametic components released by both males and females can significantly drive sperm competition outcomes. Seminal fluid (SF) was shown to influence paternity success by affecting rival males' sperm performance, and, in some species with male alternative reproductive tactics, to selectively decrease the fertilization success of males of the opposite tactic. Female reproductive fluid (FRF) has been proven to differentially influence ejaculates of different males and bias fertilization towards specific partners. Whether, and with what outcome, these two processes can intersect to influence sperm competition is still unknown. Here we explore this scenario in the grass goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus), a fish with territorial-sneaker reproductive tactics, where sneaker males can exploit the territorials' SF while penalizing territorial sperm performance with their own fluid. To test whether FRF can rebalance the ejaculate competition in favour of territorial males, we used in vitro fertilization with a SF mixture (territorial + sneaker), using increasing concentrations of FRF, to simulate the natural conditions that ejaculates encounter towards the eggs. Our findings revealed a differential effect of FRF on the different tactics' fertilization success, favouring territorial ejaculates, possibly through an attenuation of the detrimental effects of sneaker SF, and enabling females to regain control over the fertilization process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Pinzoni
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Lisa Locatello
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fano Marine Center, Fano 61032, Italy
| | - Clelia Gasparini
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova 35131, Italy
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2
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Pinzoni L, Locatello L, Gasparini C, Rasotto MB. Female reproductive fluid concentrations affect sperm performance of alternative male phenotypes in an external fertilizer. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1198-1207. [PMID: 37438920 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that the female reproductive fluid (FRF) plays an important role in cryptic female choice through its differential effect on the performance of sperm from different males. In a natural spawning event, the male(s) may release ejaculate closer or further away from the spawning female. If the relative spatial proximity of competing males reflects the female pre-mating preference towards those males, then favoured males will encounter higher concentrations of FRF than unpreferred males. Despite this being a common situation in many external fertilizers, whether different concentrations of FRF can differentially influence the sperm performance of distinct male phenotypes (favoured and unfavoured by the female) remains to be elucidated. Here, we tested this hypothesis using the grass goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus), a fish with distinct territorial-sneaker reproductive tactics and female pre-mating preference towards territorial males, that consequently mate in an advantaged position and whose sperm experience higher concentrations of FRF. Our findings revealed a differential concentration-dependent effect of FRF over sneaker and territorial sperm motility only at low concentrations (i.e. at the distance where sneakers typically ejaculate), with increasing FRF concentrations (i.e. close to the eggs) similarly boosting the sperm performance of both sneaker and territorial males. The ability to release sperm close to the eggs is a prerogative of territorials, but FRF can likewise advantage the sperm of those sneakers that are able to get closer, allowing flexibility in the direction of female post-mating choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Pinzoni
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Lisa Locatello
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fano Marine Center, Fano, Italy
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3
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Synyshyn C, Green-Pucella AE, Balshine S. Nonmating behavioural differences between male tactics in the invasive round goby. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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4
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Locatello L, Borgheresi O, Poli F, Pilastro A, Rasotto MB. Black goby territorial males adjust their ejaculate's characteristics in response to the presence of sneakers. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210201. [PMID: 34343439 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In many species, males can rapidly adjust their ejaculate performance in response to changing levels of sperm competition, an ability that is probably mediated by seminal fluid adaptive plasticity. In the black goby, Gobius niger, territorial males attach viscous ejaculate trails to the nest roof, from which sperm are slowly released into the water during the long-lasting spawning events. Sneaker males release their sperm in the vicinity of the nest, and territorial males try to keep them at a distance by patrolling their territory. We show here that territorial males' ejaculate trails released a higher proportion of their sperm in the presence of a single sneaker, but this proportion decreased when there were three sneakers, an effect that is most likely mediated by a change in the seminal fluid composition. Field observations showed that when multiple sneaking attempts occurred, territorial males spent more time outside the nest, suggesting that ejaculation rate and territory defence are traded-off. Altogether, these results suggest that the adjustment of sperm release from the ejaculate may be strategic, guaranteeing a more continuous concentration of the territorial male's sperm in the nest, although at a lower level, when he is engaged in prolonged territory defence outside the nest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Locatello
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/b, 35121 Padova, Italy.,Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fano Marine Centre, Viale Adriatico 1/N, 61032 Fano, Italy
| | - Oliviero Borgheresi
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/b, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Federica Poli
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/b, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Pilastro
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/b, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Maria B Rasotto
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/b, 35121 Padova, Italy
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5
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Poli F, Marino IAM, Santon M, Bozzetta E, Pellizzato G, Zane L, Rasotto MB. Spatial asymmetry of the paternity success in nests of a fish with alternative reproductive tactics. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3091. [PMID: 33542278 PMCID: PMC7862370 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82508-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Guard-sneaker tactics are widespread among fish, where territorial males defend a nest and provide parental care while sneakers try to steal fertilizations. Territorials and sneakers adopt diverse pre- and post-mating strategies, adjusting their ejaculate investment and/or behavioural responses to the presence of competitors. The relative distance of competitors from the spawning female plays a major role in influencing male mating strategies and the resulting paternity share. However, territorial male quality and sneaking intensity do not fully account for the variability in the relative siring success occurring among species. An often neglected factor potentially affecting sneakers proximity to females is the nest structure. We conducted a field experiment using the black goby, whose nests show two openings of different size. We found that territorial males defend more and sneaking pressure is higher at the front, larger access of the nest than at the back, smaller one. Moreover, microsatellite paternity analysis shows that territorials sire more offspring at the back of their nest. Such a predictable spatial distribution of the paternity share suggests that nest structure might work as an indirect cue of male relative siring success, potentially influencing the territorial male investment in parental care and/or the female egg deposition strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Poli
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy.
| | - I A M Marino
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
- Consorzio Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Piazzale Flaminio 9, 00196, Rome, Italy
| | - M Santon
- Institute for Evolution and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - E Bozzetta
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - G Pellizzato
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - L Zane
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
- Consorzio Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Piazzale Flaminio 9, 00196, Rome, Italy
| | - M B Rasotto
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
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6
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Fitzpatrick JL. Sperm competition and fertilization mode in fishes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200074. [PMID: 33070731 PMCID: PMC7661453 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm competition is a powerful selective force that has shaped sexual traits throughout animal evolution. Yet, how fertilization mode (i.e. external versus internal fertilization) influences the scope and potential for sperm competition to act on ejaculates remains unclear. Here, I examine how fertilization mode shapes ejaculatory responses to sperm competition in fishes, a diverse group that constitute the majority of vertebrate biological diversity. Fishes are an ideal group for this examination because they exhibit a wide range of reproductive behaviours and an unparalleled number of transitions in fertilization mode compared to any other vertebrate group. Drawing on data from cartilaginous and bony fishes, I first show that rates of multiple paternity are higher in internally than externally fertilizing fishes, contrary to the prevailing expectation. I then summarize how sperm competition acts on sperm number and quality in internally and externally fertilizing fishes, highlighting where theoretical predictions differ between these groups. Differences in how ejaculates respond to sperm competition between fertilization modes are most apparent when considering sperm size and swimming performance. Clarifying how fertilization mode influences evolutionary responses in ejaculates will inform our understanding of ejaculate evolution across the animal tree of life. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L. Fitzpatrick
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
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7
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Trade-offs of strategic sperm adjustments and their consequences under phenotype–environment mismatches in guppies. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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8
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Ota K. Pause and travel: How sneakers approach closer to spawning sites under territorial vigilance. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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9
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Picchi L, Lorenzi MC. Gender-related behaviors: evidence for a trade-off between sexual functions in a hermaphrodite. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Picchi
- LEEC—Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, J.-B. Clément, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Maria Cristina Lorenzi
- LEEC—Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, J.-B. Clément, Villetaneuse, France
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10
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Santi M, Picchi L, Lorenzi MC. Dynamic modulation of reproductive strategies in a simultaneous hermaphrodite and preference for the male role. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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11
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Amundsen T. Sex roles and sexual selection: lessons from a dynamic model system. Curr Zool 2018; 64:363-392. [PMID: 30402079 PMCID: PMC6007278 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of sexual selection has greatly improved during the last decades. The focus is no longer solely on males, but also on how female competition and male mate choice shape ornamentation and other sexually selected traits in females. At the same time, the focus has shifted from documenting sexual selection to exploring variation and spatiotemporal dynamics of sexual selection, and their evolutionary consequences. Here, I review insights from a model system with exceptionally dynamic sexual selection, the two-spotted goby fish Gobiusculus flavescens. The species displays a complete reversal of sex roles over a 3-month breeding season. The reversal is driven by a dramatic change in the operational sex ratio, which is heavily male-biased at the start of the season and heavily female-biased late in the season. Early in the season, breeding-ready males outnumber mature females, causing males to be highly competitive, and leading to sexual selection on males. Late in the season, mating-ready females are in excess, engage more in courtship and aggression than males, and rarely reject mating opportunities. With typically many females simultaneously courting available males late in the season, males become selective and prefer more colorful females. This variable sexual selection regime likely explains why both male and female G. flavescens have ornamental colors. The G. flavescens model system reveals that sexual behavior and sexual selection can be astonishingly dynamic in response to short-term fluctuations in mating competition. Future work should explore whether sexual selection is equally dynamic on a spatial scale, and related spatiotemporal dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trond Amundsen
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO 7491 Trondheim, Norway
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12
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13
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Hopwood PE, Moore AJ, Tregenza T, Royle NJ. Male burying beetles extend, not reduce, parental care duration when reproductive competition is high. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1394-402. [PMID: 26033457 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Revised: 05/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Male parents spend less time caring than females in many species with biparental care. The traditional explanation for this pattern is that males have lower confidence of parentage, so they desert earlier in favour of pursuing other mating opportunities. However, one recent alternative hypothesis is that prolonged male parental care might also evolve if staying to care actively improves paternity. If this is the case, an increase in reproductive competition should be associated with increased paternal care. To test this prediction, we manipulated the level of reproductive competition experienced by burying beetles, Nicrophorus vespilloides (Herbst, 1783). We found that caregiving males stayed for longer and mated more frequently with their partner when reproductive competition was greater. Reproductive productivity did not increase when males extended care. Our findings provide support for the increased paternity hypothesis. Extended duration of parental care may be a male tactic both protecting investment (in the current brood) and maximizing paternity (in subsequent brood(s) via female stored sperm) even if this fails to maximize current reproductive productivity and creates conflict of interest with their mate via costs associated with increased mating frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- P E Hopwood
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - A J Moore
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.,Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - T Tregenza
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - N J Royle
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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14
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Ota K, Awata S, Morita M, Yokoyama R, Kohda M. Territorial males can sire more offspring in nests with smaller doors in the cichlid Lamprologus lemairii. J Hered 2014; 105:416-22. [PMID: 24574486 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esu009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To examine how territorial males counter reproductive parasites, we examined the paternity of broods guarded by territorial males using 5 microsatellite loci and factors that determine siring success in a wild population of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Lamprologus lemairii. Females enter rock holes (nests) and spawn inside, and territorial males release milt over the nest openings. Sneakers attempt to dart into the nests, but territorial males often interrupt the attempt. The body size of territorial males (territorial defense ability) and the size of nest opening (the ability to prevent sneakers from nest intrusions) are predicted to be factors that affect paternity at the premating stage, whereas milt quality traits are factors that affect paternity at the postmating stage. Parentage analyses of 477 offspring revealed that most clutches have few or no cuckolders, and territorial males sired >80% of eggs in 7 of the 10 analyzed clutches. Larger territorial males that spawned in nests with narrower openings had greater siring success. In contrast, none of the milt traits affected the siring success. These suggest that territorial male L. lemairii adopt premating strategies whereby they effectively prevent reproductive parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Ota
- the Department of Biology and Geosciences, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
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15
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Adreani MS. The effect of alternative mating tactics on the fertilization success of a hermaphroditic seabass. Oecologia 2012; 170:355-61. [PMID: 22466860 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2307-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2011] [Accepted: 03/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In the simultaneously hermaphroditic marine fish, Serranus subligarius, male role individuals are known to pair spawn, group spawn and streak spawn. While the effects of these common mating tactics on mating success in the male role have been well studied, their consequences for the reproductive success of the individuals taking the female role have received little attention. To investigate those consequences, I observed mating behaviors and quantified fertilization success in natural and experimental settings during the summers of 2005-2008 at three sites with different local population densities. I observed focal individuals in 15-min increments and recorded the total number of spawns, number of streak spawns, size of participating spawners, and fertilization rate. The occurrence of small-sized individuals in the local population is associated with higher frequencies of streaking behavior; these small fish are most often first-year individuals reaching sexual maturity late in the spawning season (August/September). Spawns that included one or more streak spawners had a significantly lower average fertilization rate (89 %) than pair spawns without a streak spawner (97 %). This pattern was confirmed with a field manipulation experiment in which spawning events that included streakers again showed lower fertilization rates (93 %) than spawning events that did not include streakers (98 %). These lower fertilization rates occurred despite the fact that spawns that included multiple males produced, on average, 20 % more sperm than produced in spawns with only a single male. These results indicate that females incur a significant fitness cost when streakers invade a spawning event, a cost not attributable to sperm limitation or any direct effects on the female.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia S Adreani
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
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16
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Shifferman EM. It's all in your head: the role of quantity estimation in sperm competition. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:833-40. [PMID: 22171084 PMCID: PMC3259941 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2011] [Accepted: 11/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of animal cognition has provided valuable data throughout the years, yet its reliance on laboratory work leaves some open questions. The main question is whether animals employ cognition in daily decision-making. The following discussion uses sperm competition (SC) as a test case for demonstrating the effect of cognition on routine choices, in this case, sexual selection. Cognition is manifested here by males' ability to represent the number of rivals competing with them. I claim that response to SC is driven by quantity estimation and the ability to assess competition magnitude cognitively. Hence, cognition can determine males' response to SC, and consequentially it can be selected within this context. This supports the argument that cognition constitutes an integral part of an individual's toolbox in solving real-life problems, and shows that physical and behavioural phenomena can expose cognition to selection and facilitate its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran M Shifferman
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Adolf Lorenz Gasse 2, 3422 Altenberg, Austria.
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17
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Delbarco-Trillo J. Adjustment of sperm allocation under high risk of sperm competition across taxa: a meta-analysis. J Evol Biol 2011; 24:1706-14. [PMID: 21569157 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02293.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sperm competition theory predicts that under high risk of sperm competition, males will increase the number of sperm that they allocate to a female. This prediction has been supported by some experimental studies but not by others. Here, I conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether the increase in sperm allocation under high risk of sperm competition is a generalized response across taxa. I collected data from 39 studies and 37 species. Across taxa, males under a high risk of sperm competition respond by increasing their sperm allocation (mean effect size=0.32). Number of offspring did not explain a significant portion of the variation in effect sizes. A traditional meta-analysis (i.e. without phylogenetic information) described the variation among effect sizes better than a meta-analysis that incorporates the phylogenetic relationships among species, suggesting that the increase in sperm allocation under high risk of sperm competition is similarly prevalent across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Delbarco-Trillo
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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18
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Kelly CD, Jennions MD. Sexual selection and sperm quantity: meta-analyses of strategic ejaculation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2011; 86:863-84. [PMID: 21414127 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2011.00175.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clint D Kelly
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, USA.
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19
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Ota K, Heg D, Hori M, Kohda M. Sperm phenotypic plasticity in a cichlid: a territorial male's counterstrategy to spawning takeover. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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20
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The role of chemical communication in sexual selection: hair-pencil displays in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Anim Behav 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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21
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Vaughn AA, Delbarco-Trillo J, Ferkin MH. Sperm investment in male meadow voles is affected by the condition of the nearby male conspecifics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 19:1159-1164. [PMID: 19529815 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arn092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2008] [Revised: 06/13/2008] [Accepted: 06/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Sperm competition occurs when 2 or more males copulate with a particular female during the same reproductive cycle, and their sperm compete to fertilize the female's available eggs. One strategy that male voles use to assess the risk and intensity of sperm competition involves responding to the presence of scent marks of conspecific males found near a sexually receptive female. Previously, we have shown that if a male vole copulated with a female while he was in the presence of the odors of another male he increased his sperm investment relative to his investment if another male's odors were not present. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that males assess differences in the relative quality of competing males and adjust their sperm investment accordingly. We did so by allowing males to copulate when they were exposed to the scent mark of a 24-h food-deprived male (low-quality male) or the scent mark of a male that was not food deprived (high-quality male). The data indicate that male meadow voles did not increase their sperm investment during copulation when exposed to the scent mark of a food-deprived male but did so when they were exposed to the scent mark of a male that was not food deprived. The results support the hypothesis that male voles are able to adjust sperm investment when they encounter the scent marks of males that differ in quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlee A Vaughn
- Department of Biology, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
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22
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LOCATELLO LISA, PILASTRO ANDREA, DEANA RENZO, ZARPELLON ALESSANDRO, RASOTTO MARIAB. Variation pattern of sperm quality traits in two gobies with alternative mating tactics. Funct Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2007.01314.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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23
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