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1.
Patterns of courtship behavior and ejaculate characteristics in male red-winged blackbirds 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
David F. Westneat Lisa A. McGraw Jennifer M. Fraterrigo Tim R. Birkhead F. Fletcher 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1998,43(3):161-171
Sperm competition in birds is likely to have important effects on the behavior and physiology of reproduction in both sexes.
For males, such competition should select for large sperm reserves and behavioral adjustment of copulation when reserves are
low. We investigated both these possibilities in free-living red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), a highly polygynous species with apparently strong sperm competition. We found that the recent copulatory behavior of males
did not affect the propensity to copulate with a model female. Ejaculates collected from individual males at 1-h intervals
showed no evidence of sperm depletion, yet repeated ejaculates collected less than 10 min apart did. Male ejaculate size was
significantly larger if it was the first one of the day (i.e., after an overnight rest). The average ejaculate size was 12.5
(±12.5 SD) million sperm. Males captured during the breeding season had an average of 111.7 (±52.8) million sperm stored in
their seminal glomera. Because males average a peak copulation rate of six per female per day, in one day a male might utilize
all the sperm in his seminal glomera if more than two females on his territory are fertilizable. We hypothesize that polygyny
and sperm competition in this species have combined to select for rapid replenishment of the seminal glomera throughout the
day, in contrast to other species that have been studied. Testis size and sperm reserves of male red-winged blackbirds are
intermediate between monogamous species and species with intense sperm competition. Several possible explanations for this
are discussed.
Received: 21 October 1997 / Accepted after revision: 15 February 1998 相似文献
2.
Terje Laskemoen Oddmund Kleven Frode Fossøy Raleigh J. Robertson Geir Rudolfsen Jan T. Lifjeld 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2010,64(9):1473-1483
Sperm competition is widespread among animal taxa and considered a major force in sperm evolution. Recent comparative studies have indicated that sperm competition selects for high sperm production capacity and long and fast-swimming spermatozoa across species. Here, we examine the role of sperm quantity and quality for fertilization success of individual males in a Canadian population of tree swallows Tachycineta bicolor, a socially monogamous, but highly promiscuous passerine. Male fertilization success (the sum of withinpair and extrapair young) was significantly associated with the size of the cloacal protuberance (a proxy for sperm quantity), but not with sperm size or in vitro sperm swimming speed. In a multivariate analysis, both cloacal protuberance volume and relative sperm midpiece size (i.e. high mitochondrial loading) had significant effects on male fertilization success. However, relative sperm midpiece size was not associated with fertilization success in a simple regression. Further, both cloacal protuberance volume and relative midpiece size had significant effects on sperm velocity, both in simple regressions and in a multivariate analysis. The finding that males with large relative midpiece size had both higher fertilization success and faster swimming sperm, suggests an indirect link between sperm morphology and male fertility mediated through sperm velocity. In conclusion, both quantitative and qualitative sperm traits seem to affect male fertilization success in tree swallows. 相似文献
3.
Cloacal protuberances (CP) in male birds result from spermatic engorgement of storage tubules around the cloaca during the breeding season. We examined seasonal changes in the volume and orientation of the CP in the New Zealand stitchbird Notiomystis cincta. The male stitchbird has one of the largest recorded CPs for any species (max = 1,570 mm3), with CP volume increasing by almost 400% between the non-breeding and breeding seasons. While sperm competition has been positively correlated with the magnitude of CP storage in other species, no evidence previously existed for the CP improving copulation efficiency. By measuring the relative orientation of the CP throughout the year, we show that not only does the CP increase in size as males become sexually active, it also changes its orientation by approximately 60°. This results in it shifting from facing posteriorly to becoming almost perpendicular to the abdomen. This cloacal erection improves the apposition of the male and female cloacal openings during face-to-face forced copulation in this species. This provides the first reported evidence supporting the copulation efficiency hypothesis of the avian CP. While the magnitude of seasonal changes in female cloacal volume was similar to males, female cloacal orientation remained virtually unchanged across seasons. This difference between the sexes is likely to reflect differing selection pressures for optimizing sperm transfer. In females, a posterior-facing cloaca is ideal for both waste evacuation and sperm reception, whereas, for the male, a posterior-facing cloaca is well suited for waste evacuation, but possibly hinders sperm delivery. Changes in male cloacal orientation from the non-breeding to the breeding season are a likely reflection of conflict in this dual function. Evidence of changes in CP orientation in another passerine species suggests this phenomenon is widespread and also important for understanding related fields such as sperm competition, forced copulation and constraints on the evolution of the avian intromittent organ. 相似文献
4.
Sjouke A. Kingma Michelle L. Hall Anne Peters 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2012,66(8):1115-1123
In passerine birds, storage and maturation of sperm takes place in the cloacal protuberance (CP), an external swelling of the reproductive organ. The considerable variation in CP size among species is presumed to be a consequence of varying levels of sperm-competition, but whether individual variation in CP size within a species also reflects sperm competition is not well established. Here, we study temporal variation in male CP size in relation to within-pair and extra-pair mating opportunities and cuckoldry risk in purple-crowned fairy-wrens Malurus coronatus. This is a socially monogamous cooperatively breeding passerine that can breed year-round and has low levels of extra-pair paternity (in 6?% of broods). We show that male CP size sharply increased a few weeks before, and rapidly regressed after his partner laid eggs, consistent with a cost of its maintenance and/or sperm production. Surprisingly, despite low levels of extra-pair paternity, CP size of non-breeding and pre-breeding males was positively correlated with the number of breeding females in the population, suggesting that CP size is sensitive to extra-pair mating opportunities. However, CP sizes do not seem to reflect cuckoldry risk: CP size of dominant males was unaffected by the presence of a subordinate that was unrelated to the dominant female, although those subordinates occasionally sire offspring, and had a larger CP than subordinates living with their mother. Our results suggest that, even in a species with low levels of extra-pair paternity, individual investment in sperm storage reflects both within-pair and, albeit to lesser extent, extra-pair mating opportunities. 相似文献
5.
Comparative analyses have found that relative testis size is a strong predictor of the prevalence of sperm competition for many taxa, including mammals, yet underlying this pattern is the assumption that intraspecific variation in testis size is related to individual fitness. Because intraspecific variation in ejaculate investment underlies interspecific patterns, it is critical to understand the causes and consequences of intraspecific variation in ejaculate investment. We examined relationships between ejaculate investment (testis size and sperm length) and reproductive success, body size and condition in the yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus), a small ground squirrel in which sperm competition occurs. We examined genetic estimates of male reproductive success from a wild population of yellow-pine chipmunks and determined that males with large testes had higher annual reproductive success than males with small testes. This result provides empirical support for the numerous comparative studies that indicate testis size is associated with the intensity of sperm competition. In addition, males in good condition had relatively larger testes than males in poor condition, but there was no evidence of sperm length being dependent on condition. Finally, contrary to many predictions, males that invested more in sperm production (relatively heavy testes) produced shorter sperm, not longer sperm, than males that invested less.Communicated by P.M. Kappeler 相似文献
6.
Vanessa L. Bonanno Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2009,63(6):835-846
Sperm competition is widespread in mammals and occurs when ejaculates from two or more males compete within the female’s reproductive
tract to fertilize the ova. Enlarged testes are associated with sperm competition because they produce sperm, but the accessory
glands produce fluids and proteins that are also important for fertilization success. Sperm morphology can also have consequences
for fertilization success because of its influence on sperm motility. Red squirrels engage in multiple mating, and thus sperm
competition is likely. Here, we assess levels of multiple paternity in a natural population of red squirrels, test the prediction
that testis size is correlated with size of the accessory glands and sperm morphometry, and test the prediction that ejaculate
investment is condition-dependent. Five of six litters (83%) showed evidence of multiple paternity, indicating that sperm
competition is likely to have occurred. Testis size was correlated with the size of all three accessory glands (prostate,
seminal vesicle, epididymides), and there was a generally positive relationship between the size of the accessory glands and
sperm length. Sperm morphology showed significant variation in size and shape among individual male squirrels. There was no
evidence of condition dependence of testis size or the size of the accessory glands, but sperm midpiece length was negatively
related to body condition. Further work should include determining the fitness consequence of variation in sperm morphometry,
testis size, and accessory gland size, and determining the effects of variation in ejaculate investment on sperm motility. 相似文献
7.
Testis size variation in the greenfinch Carduelis chloris : relevance for some recent models of sexual selection 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
Interspecific evidence that testis size responds to selection caused by sperm competition has been obtained from many taxa. However, little is known about the sources of intraspecific variation in testis size, although such variation may have functional significance. Variation in testis size and asymmetry was studied within and between eight geographically separated (and genetically differentiated) populations of greenfinches Carduelis chloris. The relationships between testis size and plumage brightness (degree of yellowness) and the prevalence of haematozoan infections were also investigated in three of these populations, as they related to the predictions of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, and Møller's hypothesis relating directional testis asymmetry to phenotypic quality. There were large differences between populations in testis size, with males from northern populations having larger testes than those from southern populations. Within populations, large testes were associated with larger body size and greater age. When the influence of these factors was removed statistically, males with large testes were more likely to be infected with haematozoan parasites, and had brighter yellow plumage. No evidence was found that directional asymmetry in testis size was related to either of these measures of phenotypic quality. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that males with large testes, while signalling higher phenotypic quality as revealed by increased plumage brightness, also pay a cost in terms of reduced immunocompetence, revealed by the increased probability of infection in these males. That these patterns were similar in three different populations adds further strength to these conclusions. Our results suggest that studying the sources of variation in testis size among individuals can reveal interesting processes in sexual selection. 相似文献
8.
In species where males use alternative reproductive tactics and male phenotypes are confronted with different risks of sperm
competition, theory predicts that between-male-type differences in sperm expenditure may evolve. In the frog Crinia georgiana big males can monopolize females, whereas small males often engage in polyandrous matings. Consequently, big males may experience
a lower risk of sperm competition than do small males. We tested if the predictions from theoretical models can be applied
to the mating system of C. georgiana. Our results showed that small males do not have larger testes relative to their body size compared to their larger counterparts
and that the efficiency with which sperm number, size, motility, and longevity are produced by the testes does not differ
between small and large males in the predicted way. These results are not in alignment with predictions from a loaded raffle
model of sperm competition on sperm expenditure in males with alternative phenotypes. The plasticity in mating tactics used
by C. georgiana males and a high intraseasonal variation in male densities may have prevented the evolution of enhanced sperm performance
in smaller males. A fair raffle in the sperm competition game played by C. georgiana males could also explain the observed patterns in sperm traits. Future investigations determining the parameters responsible
for the deviation from theoretical predictions in this system will test the degree to which current theoretical models can
indeed be applied to species with plastic reproductive tactics. 相似文献
9.
Testes mass in megachiropteran bats varies in accordance with sperm competition theory 总被引:4,自引:0,他引:4
D. J. Hosken 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1998,44(3):169-177
Sperm competition is a widespread phenomenon influencing a range of characters, including investment in gonadal tissue. Conspecific
proximity is one factor which can influence the risk of sperm competition and hence testicular investment, and decreased confidence
of paternity may be one cost of group living. Aspects of female biology may also influence spermatogenic investment and sperm
morphology. This study examines the associations between relative testes mass and roost-group size across 17 species of Megachiroptera.
Associations between breeding season duration and investment in spermatogenesis are also examined, as are associations between
female reproductive tract dimensions and testes mass and dimensions of spermatozoa across all bats. Relative testes mass was
significantly positively associated with roost-group size at a species level and after appropriate phylogenetic control (pairwise
comparisons and comparison of independent contrasts). There were no significant relationships between breeding season duration
and relative testes mass. Across all bats, neither testes mass nor sperm length were significantly related to dimensions of
the female tract. The results are discussed in the context of sperm competition.
Received: 7 January 1998 / Accepted after revision: 8 August 1998 相似文献
10.
Diego Rubolini Paolo Galeotti Gabriele Ferrari Michele Spairani Franco Bernini Mauro Fasola 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2006,60(2):212-219
Sperm competition is a well-recognised agent in the evolution of sperm and ejaculate structure, as well as variation in female quality. Models of the evolution of ejaculate expenditure predict that male body condition, female fecundity and the risk and intensity of sperm competition may be the ultimate factors shaping optimal ejaculate size. We investigated sperm allocation in Austropotamobius italicus, a freshwater crayfish exhibiting a coercive mating system and external fertilisation, in relation to male and female traits and copulation behaviour under laboratory conditions. We found that mating males were sensitive to female size and produced larger ejaculates when mating with larger females, which were more fecund in terms of number of eggs produced. We found no evidence for female egg production being sperm-limited, as the number of eggs was not dependent on male sperm expenditure. Copulation duration and number of ejaculations reliably predicted the amount of sperm transferred, and both these behavioural measures positively covaried with female body size. These results indicate that male freshwater crayfish can modulate their sperm expenditure in accordance with cues that indicate female fecundity. In addition, a novel finding that emerged from this study is the decrease in sperm expenditure with male body size, which may either suggest that large, old male crayfish are better able than small males to economise sperm at a given mating to perform multiple matings during a reproductive season, or that they experience senescence of their reproductive performance. 相似文献
11.
Evolutionary theory predicts that more resources are allocated to sperm production when sperm competition is high. This prediction is supported by both comparative and experimental data on static measures of male allocation, such as testis and ejaculate size. However, resource allocation is a dynamic process, and it is therefore important to evaluate if the static measures reflect this. Such an evaluation has to our knowledge never been done. Immunocytochemical labelling with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) allows visualisation of cells in S-phase. BrdU becomes incorporated into cells if, and only if, they are actively undergoing DNA duplication, which is a dynamic process. The number of BrdU-positive cells in the testis can hence serve as a dynamic measure of male allocation, i.e. testicular activity. We evaluate the relationship between testis size and testicular activity in the marine flatworm Macrostomum sp. In a previous study, we showed that testis size is phenotypically plastic in this species, and that worms make larger testes when they are raised in larger groups. We use this plasticity to experimentally produce variation in testis size, and demonstrate that larger testes are associated with higher testicular activity. Moreover, testis size and testicular activity were related linearly. We have thus, for the first time, shown that testis size is a good measure of resource allocation to the male function. Moreover, increased testicular activity is probably one of the first steps in the upregulation of sperm production. It is thus expected that testicular activity is a more sensitive measure of short-term variation in male allocation than the commonly used static measures.Communicated by N. Wedell 相似文献
12.
Sexual selection theory for simultaneously hermaphroditic animals predicts an overall preference for inseminating partners
that have a relatively higher female fecundity. Previous work on the link between male mating decisions and female fecundity
has primarily focused on the effect of the partners’ body size using existing variation in this trait within a study population.
On the assumption that the body size is positively correlated with female fecundity, sperm donors should preferentially inseminate
relatively larger individuals to obtain a higher fitness gain through their male sex function. However, empirical evidence
for such size-dependent mate choice in simultaneous hermaphrodites is equivocal, possibly because of confounding variables.
We studied the mating behavior of the simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano and tested for a strategic mating effort in response to the feeding status of the partner. We experimentally manipulated
the feeding status of potential mating partners in order to generate variation in female fecundity among them and tested whether
this affected the copulation number and the number of sperm that the focal worm managed to store in the partner’s sperm storage
organ. We found that the manipulation of the feeding status had a strong effect on the body size of the potential mating partners
and that focal worms copulated more frequently with, and stored more sperm in well-fed partners compared to unfed partners.
Our results suggest that M. lignano adjusts its mating effort in response to the feeding status of the mating partner. 相似文献
13.
Reproductive delays between mating and birth may provide a previously unconsidered avenue for post-copulatory sexual selection in mammals. In particular, delayed fertilization could provide an enhanced opportunity for sperm competition by extending the time for ejaculates to interact in the female reproductive tract. We tested the prediction that species with delayed fertilization exhibit greater degrees of sperm competition than those without delays by examining testis volume (a proxy for sperm competition) in 38 species of bats. Examination of fluid-preserved museum specimens of bat species with and without delays revealed that species with delays (in particular those with delayed fertilization) had significantly larger testes than species without them. Although it predicts the presence of delayed fertilization, hibernation did not predict relative testis size. We conclude that, once they evolve, reproductive delays may facilitate sperm competition. 相似文献
14.
15.
Susanne P. A. den Boer Jacobus J. Boomsma Boris Baer 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(12):1843-1849
The seminal fluid that accompanies sperm in ejaculates has been shown or suggested to affect sperm competition and paternity
success of insects by preventing female remating, inducing oviposition, and forming mating plugs. In Atta leafcutter ants, queens have multiple mates but never remate later in life, although they may live and produce fertilized
eggs for several decades. The mating biology and life history of these ants therefore suggests that the major function of
seminal fluid is to maximize sperm viability during copulation, sperm transfer, and initial sperm storage. We tested this
hypothesis by comparing the viability of testis sperm and ejaculated sperm (mixed with seminal fluid) and found a significant
positive effect of seminal fluid on sperm viability. We further quantified this positive effect by adding accessory gland
secretion (a major component of seminal fluid) in a dilution series, to show that minute quantities of accessory gland secretion
achieve significant increases in sperm viability. Sperm stored by queens for 1 year benefited in a similar way from being
exposed to accessory gland compounds after dissection in control saline solution. Our results provide the first empirical
evidence that seminal fluid is important for the production of viable ejaculates and that the accessory glands of Atta males—despite their small size—are functional and produce a very potent secretion. 相似文献
16.
M. Pyron 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2000,48(2):132-136
Most comparative analyses of relative testes mass find that testes are larger in species in which more sperm competition is
predicted (multiple males mate with individual females). I tested for differences in adjusted testes mass (for body mass)
by spawning mode and by sexual size dimorphism in a comparative analysis of 37 minnow species. No significant differences
were found for testes mass by spawning mode or sexual size dimorphism. These results imply a lack of response to selection
on testes size from sperm competition in minnow species. Possible explanations for the lack of the expected relationship between
testes mass and mating systems in minnows are presented.
Received: 8 November 1999 / Received in revised form: 27 January 2000 / Accepted: 13 February 2000 相似文献
17.
The theory of life history evolution assumes trade-offs between competing fitness traits such as reproduction, somatic growth,
and maintenance. One prediction of this theory is that if large individuals have a higher reproductive success, small/young
individuals should invest less in reproduction and allocate more resources in growth than large/old individuals. We tested
this prediction using the common toad (Bufo bufo), a species where mating success of males is positively related to their body size. We measured testes mass, soma mass, and
sperm stock size in males of varying sizes that were either (1) re-hibernated at the start of the breeding season, (2) kept
without females throughout the breeding season, or (3) repeatedly provided with gravid females. In the latter group, we also
estimated fertilization success and readiness to re-mate. Contrary to our predictions, the relationship between testes mass
and soma mass was isometric, sperm stock size relative to testes mass was unrelated to male size, fertilization success was
not higher in matings with larger males, and smaller males were not less likely to engage in repeated matings than larger
males. These results consistently suggest that smaller males did not invest less in reproduction to be able to allocate more
in growth than larger males. Causes for this unexpected result may include relatively low year-to-year survival, unpredictable
between-year variation in the strength of sexual selection and low return rates of lowered reproductive investment. 相似文献
18.
Sperm competition should select for increased sperm production if the probability of fertilization by a specific male is proportional to the relative number of sperm inseminated. A review of the literature generally supports the predicted positive association between sperm production or allocation and various measures of the presumed intensity of sperm competition. However, it is not clear how increased sperm competition is related to extra-pair paternity, and it remains unknown whether certainty of paternity should be associated with relative testis size. Based on a large sample of bird species with information on extra-pair paternity gathered from the literature, we demonstrate that testis mass is related positively to the level of extra-pair paternity, after controlling for body size and phylogeny. Although large testes may be necessary to avoid sperm depletion in species in which males frequently engage in multi-pair copulations, we argue that selection has favoured increased testis mass in situations of more intense sperm competition in order to retaliate against copulations by rival males. The fact the males are not always successful in retaliating against rival ejaculates further suggests that females may largely control the allocation of paternity in birds and that increased sperm production by males may simply be a male strategy to make the best of a bad situation. 相似文献
19.
Merja Otronen 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1994,35(1):33-38
Male fertilisation success in relation to male size and the mating situation (ordinary pair formation with a single, nonvirgin female vs. take overs) was examined in the fly Dryomyza anilis. In ordinary matings, large males achieved higher fertilisation success than small ones when they were the second to mate with the female. Take overs differ from ordinary pair formation in that the second male experiences intensified sperm competition. This is because in take overs the female is not able to discharge any of the sperm inseminated by the first male as she usually does before a new mating. Compared with ordinary matings, take overs reduced the fertilisation success of the second male by 8–10%, whereas that of the first male was 7–14% higher in take overs. Even though the intruder was always larger than the paired male his superior fertilisation success did not compensate for the effect of the sperm already present in the female. In D. anilis, males can increase their fertilisation success by tapping the female's external genitalia with their claspers or having several copulation bouts per mating. Thus, in a take over, the intruder could respond to the intensified sperm competition by performing more tapping sequences per copulation bout or more copulation bouts per mating. In matings observed in the wild, males performed more tapping sequences after a take over than after pair formation with a single female, although the difference was not significant. The results show that there are differences in fertilisation success between males of different size. In addition, different mating situations can result in considerable variation in the fertilisation success of an individual male. Higher fertilisation success for the first male after a take over may be significant, in particular, for the reproductive success of small males, which frequently lose their females to large males. 相似文献
20.
Gauri R. Pradhan Antje Engelhardt Carel P. van Schaik Dario Maestripieri 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2006,59(3):333-343
Female copulation calls are mating-associated vocalizations that occur in some species of Old World monkeys and apes. We argue
that copulation calls have two immediate functions: to encourage mating attempts by other males and to increase mate guarding
by the consort male. We hypothesize that female copulation calls have evolved under the selective pressures of risk of infanticide
and sperm competition. When male mate guarding is effective, copulation calls allow females to concentrate paternity in dominant
males and benefit from their protection against the risk of infanticide. When mate guarding is ineffective, copulation calls
may bring genetic benefits to females through facilitation of sperm competition. We present a quantitative model in which
interspecific variation in females' promiscuity predicts their tendency to use copulation calls in conjunction with mating.
The model predicts that in species with little female promiscuity, copulation calls should be rare and exhibited only in association
with mating with dominant males. In species in which females are highly promiscuous, copulation calls should be frequent and
unrelated to male dominance rank. The limited data available to test the model support its main predictions as well as the
predicted relation between copulation calls and male dominance rank.
相似文献
Dario MaestripieriEmail: |