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Moore BC, Kelly DA, Piva M, Does M, Kim DK, Simoncini M, Leiva PML, Pina CI. Genital anatomy and copulatory interactions in the broad snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:3075-3087. [PMID: 34236769 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24699] [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: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The broad snouted caiman is a crocodylian native to South America that is subject to extensive conservation management in both wild and farming environments. Although reproductive behaviors like egg laying and clutch care have been examined in this species, little else is known about their copulatory system. We examined the anatomy of male and female cloacal and genital tissues ex vivo to build hypotheses of their interactions during copulation and the effects of that interaction on insemination. Male phallic glans tissues were artificially inflated to expand into their copulatory state, allowing the examination and quantification of structural changes at the gross and tissue levels. Digital reconstruction of MRI stacks yielded three-dimensional tissue compartment specific glans models of the inflated state. Silicone molds of female cloacae and oviducts in conjunction with dissection and diceCT analysis allowed us to assess internal geometry and infer how male and female features interact in copulo. We observed glans expansion within the female proctodeum would result in a copulatory lock limiting deeper intromission or retraction. Intromission and subsequent creation of the copulatory lock produces extensive clitoral compression, providing a possible mechanism for female assessment of male copulatory performance. Further, glans expansion forms a distal lumen that positions the glans tip in or near the vaginal openings. A coiled, muscular vagina provides a possible mechanism for postcopulatory sexual selection by excluding semen. Together, the complex male-female interaction supports evidence for cryptic selection by female choice, which can act as a driver of genital coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Moore
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,Deartment of Biology, School of Health Sciences, Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Diane A Kelly
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Milan Piva
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Mark Does
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Dong Kyu Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Melina Simoncini
- CICyTTP (CONICET-Prov. ER-UADER), Proyecto Yacare, FCYT/UADER, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Pamela M L Leiva
- CICyTTP (CONICET-Prov. ER-UADER), Proyecto Yacare, FCYT/UADER, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Carlos I Pina
- CICyTTP (CONICET-Prov. ER-UADER), Proyecto Yacare, FCYT/UADER, Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina
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Moore BC, Brennan PLR, Francis R, Penland S, Shiavone K, Wayne K, Woodward AR, Does MD, Kim DK, Kelly DA. Glans inflation morphology and female cloaca copulatory interactions of the male American alligator phallus†. Biol Reprod 2020; 104:374-386. [PMID: 33112370 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioaa197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The phallic glans of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the distal termination of the semen-conducting sulcus spermaticus and during copulation has the closest, most intimate mechanical interactions with the female urodeum, the middle cloacal chamber that contains the opening to the vaginal passages and oviducts. However, the details of this interface leading to insemination and gamete uptake are unclear. Here, we: (1) histologically characterize the underlying tissue types and morphologically quantify the shape changes associated with glans inflation into the copulatory conformation, (2) digitally reconstruct from MRI the 3D shape of functional tissue compartments, and (3) diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography image the copulatory fit between male phallus and female cloaca. We discuss these results in relation to tissue type material properties, the transfer on intromittent forces, establishing potential copulatory lock, inflated glans volume scaling with body mass/length, the mechanics of semen targeting and insemination, and potential female cryptic choice impacting multiple clutch paternity. In part, this study further clarifies the phallic morphological variation observed among crocodylians and begins to investigate the role(s) these divergent male forms play during copulation interacting with female cloacal forms to increase reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Moore
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA
| | | | - Rachel Francis
- Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA
| | - Samuel Penland
- Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA
| | - Kelsie Shiavone
- Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA
| | - Kathryn Wayne
- Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA
| | - Allan R Woodward
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Mark D Does
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Dong Kyu Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Diane A Kelly
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA, USA
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Moore BC, Groenewald HB, Myburgh JG. Histological Investigation of the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) Phallic Glans. SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.2994/sajh-d-18-00083.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C. Moore
- Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South. Sewanee, TN 37375, USA
| | - Herman B. Groenewald
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Jan G. Myburgh
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
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Moore BC, Francis R, Foster A, Kelly DA, Does M, Kim DK, Groenewald HB, Myburgh JG. Morphological changes associated with Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) phallic glans inflation. J Morphol 2020; 281:636-645. [PMID: 32271493 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The crocodylian phallic glans is the distal inflatable structure that makes the most direct contact with the female cloacal and associated reproductive tract openings during copulation. Therefore, its form and function directly impact female tissue sensory interactions and insemination mechanics. Compared to mammals, less is known about glans functional anatomy among other amniotes, including crocodylians. Therefore, we paired an ex vivo inflation technique with magnetic resonance imaging 3D-reconstructions and corresponding histological analyses to better characterize the morphological glans restructuring occurring in the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) at copulation. The expansion of contiguous inflatable spongiform glans tissues is variably constrained by adjacent regions of dense irregular collagen-rich tissues. Therefore, expansion shows regional differences with greater lateral inflation than dorsal and ventral. Furthermore, this enlargement elaborates the cup-like glans lumen, dorsally reorients the glans ridge, stiffens the blunt and bifid glans tip, and putatively works to seal the ventral sulcus spermaticus semen conduit groove. We suggest how these dynamic male structures may interact with structures of the female cloacal urodeum and how these morphological changes, in concert with the varying material properties of the structural tissue compartments visualized in this study, aid copulatory gamete transfer and resulting fecundity. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Nile crocodile glans inflation produces a reproductively relevant copulatory structure directing insemination and female tissue interactions. Pairing magnetic resonance imaging 3D reconstruction with corresponding histology effectively studies functional anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Moore
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, USA
| | - Rachel Francis
- Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, USA
| | - Adam Foster
- Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, USA
| | - Diane A Kelly
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark Does
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Dong K Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Herman B Groenewald
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Jan G Myburgh
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
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Moore BC, Fitri WN, Augustine L. Crocodylian conservation and evolution insights from an anatomical and histological examination of phalli from male false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii). Anat Histol Embryol 2020; 49:390-401. [PMID: 32154618 DOI: 10.1111/ahe.12542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
As wild population threats for the endangered false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) persist, conservation breeding programs, including developing semen collection techniques for subsequent artificial insemination, are becoming important species conservation measures. Developing reproductive biology understanding of a species is important to developing best practices and hopefully maximizing reproductive successes. However, information on crocodylians functional copulatory anatomy in general is lacking. To that end, zoological facilities and conservation centres have the exceptional opportunity to contribute new understandings that may not otherwise be attainable regarding crocodylian reproductive anatomy, particularly during routine physical examinations or post-mortem necropsies. Therefore, to better understand T. schlegelii reproductive biology, to contribute knowledge in support of zoo breeding conservation efforts and to contribute to what is known overall about crocodylian reproduction, we investigated phallic anatomy of adult male Tomistoma from two zoological populations, the St. Louis Zoo, USA and Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia. Here, we present the gross anatomical features and histological analysis of underlying tissue-level details in pursuit of a better understanding of copulatory function and associated gamete transfer mechanisms. While much of the overall Tomistoma phallic morphology and inferred function corresponds to that of other crocodylian species and speaks to conserved aspects of functional anatomy across taxa, species-specific aspects of glans and glans tip morphology are also identified. These novelties are discussed in a general function and overall broader evolutionary contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Moore
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA
| | - Wan-Nor Fitri
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.,Research Centre for Wildlife, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Lauren Augustine
- Curator of Herpetology, Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, MO, USA.,Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, USA
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Brennan PL, Orbach DN. Copulatory behavior and its relationship to genital morphology. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2020.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Moore BC, Holliday CM, McMurry ST, Platt SG, Rainwater TR. Correlation between increased postpubertal phallic growth and the initiation of cranial sexual dimorphisms in male Morelet's crocodile. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2019; 331:562-570. [PMID: 31613430 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
While puberty is an animal commonality, little is known of its timing or process in crocodylians. Males copulate with an intromittent phallus that has a distinct glans morphology which directly interacts with the female cloaca, putatively effecting effective semen transfer and ultimately increased fecundity. Here we present, during the Morelet's crocodile lifecycle, a well-defined body length (65 cm snout-vent length) inflection point that marks a subsequent increase of phallic glans growth rates. Putatively, this postpubescent growth produces a copulatory-effective phallus. While not as robust of a trend as snout-vent length, this growth inflection concomitantly begins with a body condition index (CI = BM/SVL3 ) between 2.0 and 2.5 and is most distinct above a CI of 2.5. Also, in males, this 65 cm size threshold also aligns with the initiation of more robust growth in caniniform alveoli associated with prominent maxillary and mandibular teeth. This inflection was not observed in females, thus marking a sexual dimorphism that begins to present with the onset of puberty. This bodily manifestation of puberty other than those changes observed in the reproductive tracts is a novel observation for crocodylians and lays a foundation for further study among species of how changing endocrine signaling within sexually maturing males may also influence a broader range of secondary sex characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Moore
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Biology Department, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
| | - Casey M Holliday
- Anatomy, Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Scott T McMurry
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
| | - Steven G Platt
- Wildlife Conservation Society-Myanmar Program, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Thomas R Rainwater
- Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, Georgetown, South Carolina.,Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Georgetown, South Carolina
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Kelly DA, Moore BC. The Morphological Diversity of Intromittent Organs: An Introduction to the Symposium. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:630-4. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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Studying Genital Coevolution to Understand Intromittent Organ Morphology. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:669-81. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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Kelly DA. Intromittent Organ Morphology and Biomechanics: Defining the Physical Challenges of Copulation. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:705-14. [PMID: 27252215 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Intromittent organs-structures that place gametes into a mate for internal fertilization-evolved many times within the animal kingdom, and are remarkable for their extravagant morphological diversity. Some taxa build intromittent organs from tissues with reproductive system antecedents, but others copulate with modified fins, tentacles, or legs: anatomically, these structures can include combinations of stiff tissues, extensible tissues, and muscle. Their mechanical behavior during copulation is also diverse: males in some taxa reorient or protrude genital tissues, others inflate them and change their shape, while still other taxa combine these strategies. For these animals, the ability to ready an intromittent organ for copulation and physically interact with a mate's genital tissues is critical to reproductive success, and may be tied to aspects of postcopulatory selection such as sperm competition and sexual conflict. But we know little about their mechanical behavior during copulation. This review surveys mechanical strategies that animals may use for intromittent organ function during intromission and copulation, and discusses how they may perform when their tissues experience stresses in tension, compression, bending, torsion, or shear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane A Kelly
- *Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Tobin Hall, 135 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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