Article
Biology
Silvia Cattelan, Alessandro Devigili, Maria Santaca, Clelia Gasparini
Summary: Mounting evidence suggests that female reproductive fluid (FRF) can influence sperm performance and paternity share among competing males. This study investigates the potential of "within-ejaculate cryptic female choice" mediated by FRF in zebrafish. Using a sperm selection chamber, the researchers compared FRF-selected and non-selected sperm in terms of quantity, viability, DNA integrity, and fertilizing ability. The results indicate that FRF-selected sperm have higher numbers, viability, and DNA integrity, and they also fertilize more eggs. The study highlights the significant role of FRF in fertilization and post-mating sexual selection dynamics.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Tyler H. Lantiegne, Craig F. Purchase
Summary: Polyandrous mating systems create opportunities for pre-mating and post-mating sexual selection, but also increase the risk of unintended matings and sperm competition with hybridizing species. Cryptic female choice allows females to bias paternity towards preferred males, and may include conspecific sperm preference even under hybridization risk. This study examines conspecific sperm preference in a system of North American native salmon and char, and invasive brown trout, and concludes that the weak cryptic female choice in this system fails to prevent invasive hybridization and reproductive isolation between the native species.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Biology
Liam R. Dougherty, Michael J. A. Skirrow, Michael D. Jennions, Leigh W. Simmons
Summary: In many animal species, males exhibit different alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) in obtaining fertilisations, but there is little evidence that ARTs differ substantially in investment into sperm and ejaculates across species. The incongruence between theoretical predictions and empirical results could be explained by the failure of theoretical models to account for differences in overall resource levels between males exhibiting different ARTs, as well as the inaccurate measurement of sperm or ejaculate traits in reflecting overall post-mating investment or affecting fertilisation success.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aleksandra Lukasiewicz, Kari Huhta, Jarmo Ritari, Juha Perasaari, Pia Allinen, Marjo Malinen, Annalaura Jokiniemi, Tanja Turunen, Jukka Partanen, Jukka Kekalainen
Summary: Recent studies have shown that reproductive failure may result from the reproductive incompatibility of partners. Female reproductive secretions, such as follicular fluid, can mediate gamete-level mate choice and determine male-female compatibility. Research found that sperm physiological response to female serum can predict compatibility in 70% of males.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Jukka Kekalainen
Summary: The article discusses how in natural fertilisation, the female reproductive tract selects specific sperm subpopulations to interact with unfertilised eggs, leading to biased paternity for certain males. The author suggests that genetic compatibility-based cryptic female choice likely occurs in humans, influenced by a complex network of male and female genes. It is also noted that the interaction effect of genetic compatibility on reproductive success is significant and can outweigh individual male and female effects, potentially leading to reproductive failure due to gamete-level incompatibility.
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Matthew C. Kustra, Suzanne H. Alonzo
Summary: In contrast to pre-mating sexual selection, little theoretical research has focused on the coevolution of postmating traits via cryptic female choice. This study used simulation models to investigate the impact of nondirectional cryptic female choice on male-mediated postmating processes, as well as the interaction between sperm competition risk, cryptic female choice strength, and sperm traits. The results showed that incorporating cryptic female choice can result in reduced male investment in ejaculates. It also revealed that genetic correlations between cryptic female choice and sperm traits can evolve even with weak cryptic female choice and low sperm competition risk.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Charlotta Kvarnemo, Leon Green, Ola Svensson, Kai Lindstrom, Sofie Schold, Martina Griful-Dones, Jonathan N. Havenhand, Erica H. Leder
Summary: This study compared the sperm performance between breeding-coloured males and parasitic sneaker-morph males in sand gobies. The results showed a clear difference in testes gene expression, but only modest differences in sperm performance between the two male morphs. These findings suggest that increased sperm performance as an adaptation to sperm competition is not a primary target of evolution in this species.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Callum S. McDiarmid, Roger Li, Ariel F. Kahrl, Melissah Rowe, Simon C. Griffith
Summary: Research on sperm is important in various fields such as ecology and evolution. Sperm Sizer, a freely available Java program, can semi-automate the process of measuring sperm length efficiently. The program produces high quality sperm length data and can be used in various species.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Gabriela Caetano, Ines Bozinovic, Charlotte Dupont, Damien Leger, Rachel Levy, Nathalie Sermondade
Summary: Results of the study suggest that sleep parameters may affect female and male reproductive functions, with short sleep duration, evening chronotype, or shift/night work schedules potentially impacting fertility and IVF outcomes. However, due to heterogeneous study methodologies, the results were difficult to compare.
FERTILITY AND STERILITY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Olivia E. Anastasio, Chelsea S. Sinclair, Alison Pischedda
Summary: Cryptic male mate choice refers to the differential allocation of resources by males to females during or after copulation. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, males mate longer and allocate more resources to larger females compared to smaller females. However, it is unclear if this increased investment in larger females has any impact on the males' subsequent matings.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Katsuya Kiyose, Masako Katsuki, Yu Suzaki, Kensuke Okada
Summary: Females in the beetle Gnatocerus cornutus tend to choose attractive males for mating to produce offspring of higher quality, but there is no direct effect of remating on female fitness. Females may increase their fitness indirectly by producing attractive sons through remating with attractive males and biasing fertilization towards their sperm.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
William David Weber, Heidi S. S. Fisher
Summary: When females mate with multiple partners, both male and female reproductive traits evolve in response to post-copulatory sexual selection.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Maydianne C. B. Andrade, Aiswarya Baskaran, Maria Daniela Biaggio, Maria Modanu
Summary: Female choosiness in mating behavior is influenced by male availability, with females more likely to be picky when many males are present. Exposure to cues of high male availability during development can lead to changes in adult female behavior, such as interrupting copulation or cannibalizing males. These behavioral shifts suggest that female choosiness plays a significant role in shaping male mating success, and highlights the importance of social cues in influencing mating behaviors in spiders.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Paula Morcillo i Soler, Carlos Hidalgo, Zoltan Fekete, Laszlo Zalanyi, Islam S. M. Khalil, Marc Yeste, Veronika Magdanz
Summary: This study investigates the effects of physical and biochemical factors on the formation of sperm bundles in bull sperm. It is found that fluid viscosity does not significantly influence sperm bundling, but swim-up, post-thaw migration time, and suppressed capacitation increase the occurrence of sperm bundles.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Carl D. Soulsbury, Stuart Humphries
Summary: Over the last 50 years, sperm competition has been recognized as an important evolutionary force in shaping male ejaculate traits. The length of sperm has often been associated with faster swimming speed, but this relationship is more complex than previously thought. Different predictive models were tested, and the Constant Speed model was found to be more accurate in predicting the relationship between sperm length and velocity. Traditional models do not fully capture the biophysical interactions involved in sperm swimming. Future research should consider the microenvironment in which sperm operate and the importance of fertilizing environment.
Review
Physiology
Erasmia Rouka, Natalia Gourgoulianni, Stefan Lupold, Chrissi Hatzoglou, Konstantinos Gourgoulianis, Wolf U. Blanckenhorn, Sotirios G. Zarogiannis
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive overview of the functions of Drosophila melanogaster SJ-related proteins, their human orthologs, and protein domain families, highlighting their roles in morphogenetic events and cellular signaling. The investigation also reveals the presence of conserved domains in SJ-related proteins essential for cell-cell interactions, cell polarity, signaling, and immunity, and identifies novel human genes as putative functional homologs of fruit fly SJ genes. Further research is needed to explore the domains present in proteins encoded by eight SJ-associated genes.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Marco Demont, Paul Ward, Wolf U. Blanckenhorn, Stefan Luepold, Oliver Y. Martin, Luc F. Bussiere
Summary: The study revealed a skew in sperm storage across female spermathecae, with the quantity of second-male sperm stored generally decreasing with increasing spermathecal size. Factors such as copula duration and timing of oviposition also influenced the proportion of sperm stored by the second male. Interestingly, there was a strong correlation between the proportion of second-male stored sperm and paternity success, highlighting the significance of sperm competition in postcopulatory sexual selection.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Erasmia Rouka, Natalia Gourgoulianni, Stefan Lupold, Chrissi Hatzoglou, Konstantinos Gourgoulianis, Sotirios G. Zarogiannis
Summary: Fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster serves as an important model organism for studying chronic inflammatory lung diseases due to significant similarities in airway epithelial cells with mammals. Mapping human gene orthologs associated with COPD in Drosophila identified 73 unique human genes and 438 fruit fly genes, which were analyzed for functional pathways. The study suggests evolutionarily conserved roles in responses to inhaled toxicants and CO2 in both species.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-REGULATORY INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jhoniel Perdigon Ferreira, Stefan Luepold
Summary: Disadvantaged males can use parasitic mating tactics to compete for mates. Male Drosophila prolongata intercept courting rivals and steal females from them. This behavior is not linked to a specific morphology but depends on the condition and context of the males. The study of alternative reproductive tactics helps understand the maintenance of variation within and between species.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Regina Vega-Trejo, Raissa A. Boer, John L. Fitzpatrick, Alexander Kotrschal
Summary: Inbreeding depression affects males and females differently, with females experiencing slightly higher levels of inbreeding depression. Despite considering factors such as sexual size dimorphism, heterogamety, trait types, and testing environment, there is still a large amount of unexplained heterogeneity. Further research across different species is needed to understand the occurrence and causes of sex-specific inbreeding depression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John L. Fitzpatrick, Ariel F. Kahrl, Rhonda R. Snook
Summary: Sperm is a highly variable cell type across individuals, populations, related species, and animal phyla. The morphology of sperm has been used for phylogenetic placement and is influenced by various selective forces. The SpermTree database contains a large dataset of sperm morphology from diverse animal species, facilitating further analyses into sperm evolution.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Erika Fernlund Isaksson, Charel Reuland, Ariel F. Kahrl, Alessandro Devigili, John L. Fitzpatrick
Summary: This study examines the effects of resource restriction on pre- and post-copulatory traits in male pygmy halfbeaks. The results show that resource restriction leads to reduced body size, beak size, courtship behavior, and testes size, but unexpectedly, the restricted-diet group had a larger area of red color on the beak and fins after the diet treatment.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ane T. Laugen, David J. Hosken, Klaus Reinhold, Gioia A. Schwarzenbach, Paquita E. A. Hoeck, Luc F. Bussiere, Wolf U. Blanckenhorn, Stefan Lupold
Summary: Competition for fertilization in multiple mating females can lead to the evolution of increased sperm numbers and impact sperm morphology. This study found that longer sperm did not have a competitive advantage in yellow dung flies, and instead shorter sperm had an advantage when competing with females who had longer spermathecal ducts.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Evelina Juntorp, Madicken Akerman, John L. Fitzpatrick
Summary: Eyespots are widespread color patterns that can influence the behavior of aquatic predators. They do not delay predator attacks but cause them to stop more frequently and attack prey items at a slower speed. Light level does not affect the behavioral responses of aquatic predators towards eyespots.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wen Bo Liao, Ying Jiang, Da Yong Li, Long Jin, Mao Jun Zhong, Yin Qi, Stefan Lupold, Alexander Kotrschal
Summary: While crypsis is a prominent antipredator adaptation, the role of the brain in predator-driven evolution remains controversial. This study provides comparative evidence across 102 Chinese frog species, suggesting that reduced predation risk through crypsis can relax predation-driven selection on the brain, allowing frogs to use their large brain for cognitive predator evasion.
Article
Ecology
Jhoniel Perdigon Ferreira, Patrick T. Rohner, Stefan Luepold
Summary: Directional sexual selection drives the evolution of traits linked to reproductive success, resulting in trait exaggeration and sexual dimorphism. However, the relationship between sexual dimorphism and condition dependence has been poorly studied. This study found male-biased sexual dimorphism but no correlation between sex-specific condition dependence and sexual dimorphism.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ariel F. Kahrl, Rhonda R. Snook, John L. Fitzpatrick
Summary: The fertilization environment plays a significant role in the evolution and diversification of sperm morphology across vertebrate species, but the impact of fertilization mode varies among sperm components and vertebrate clades.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Erika Fernlund Isaksson, John L. L. Fitzpatrick
Summary: Resource limitation influences female reproductive fluid-sperm interactive effects; The study on pygmy halfbeak found that female reproductive fluids enhance sperm viability and velocity, but female diet does not affect this interactive effect. The findings highlight the importance of resource limitation in shaping female reproductive fluid effects.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Pedro Lopes Aguiar, Stefan Lupold, Renato Christensen Nali
Summary: Sexual selection has the potential to drive the evolution of traits that improve mating success and competitive fertilization when females mate with multiple males. There is a trade-off between pre- and postmating sexual selection when resources are limited, but variation in male condition and resource availability may lead to a positive association between the same traits across males. This association can be used by females to assess male fertility based on the expression of male traits before mating.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Valerian Zeender, Sibylle Pfammatter, Bernd Roschitzki, Steve Dorus, Stefan Lupold
Summary: This study characterized the composition of ejaculate proteins in 12 isogenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. New proteins in the transferred ejaculate were discovered and their origin in the male reproductive system was inferred. The results showed that the ejaculate composition was mainly determined by genotype identity and genotype-specific responses to larval diet, with nutrient restriction impacting protein activity and reproductive function-RNA metabolism balance.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
