Female choice of young sperm in a genetically monogamous bird

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
Richard H WagnerEtienne Danchin

Abstract

When females copulate with multiple males the potential exists for female sperm choice. Females may increase the probability of being fertilized by preferred males by selectively retaining their sperm while ejecting the sperm of unfavoured males. An alternative criterion to male quality for female sperm choice may be sperm age because old sperm degrade and can lead to zygote death or unhealthy offspring. Here, we report that in a genetically monogamous bird, the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, females eject their mates' sperm according to when the copulations were performed. Following copulations that were performed approximately two weeks before egg laying, females ejected inseminations at high frequencies while retaining inseminations that occurred soon before laying. Females that suffered hatching failure had ejected sperm from early copulations less than half as frequently as females whose entire clutches hatched. Furthermore, chicks that hatched from eggs fertilized by old sperm were in poor condition relative to those fertilized by young sperm. These findings support the 'young sperm' hypothesis, which predicts that females choose fresh sperm to avoid reproductive failure and are the first to show intra-male sper...Continue Reading

References

Jun 24, 2000·Nature·T Pizzari, T R Birkhead

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Citations

Sep 10, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Joël WhiteEtienne Danchin
Apr 7, 2009·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Oren Hasson, Lewi Stone
Dec 12, 2012·PloS One·Attila HettyeyRichard H Wagner
Aug 26, 2014·Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology·Katarzyna Wojczulanis-JakubasOlivier Chastel
Jan 8, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jonathan M HenshawKaroline Fritzsche
Jan 26, 2008·The Quarterly Review of Biology·Klaus Reinhardt
Oct 22, 2008·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·Alberto VelandoCarlos Alonso-Alvarez
Oct 22, 2010·Ecology Letters·Joël WhiteRichard H Wagner
Nov 26, 2013·Molecular Reproduction and Development·Gerhard van der Horst, Liana Maree
May 28, 2015·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·R C FirmanC Gasparini
Apr 24, 2015·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·Alex T Kalinka
Feb 19, 2008·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Tom PizzariMichael B Bonsall
Jul 10, 2004·Current Biology : CB·Tommaso Pizzari
Feb 21, 2018·Reproduction : the Official Journal of the Society for the Study of Fertility·Stefan Lüpold, Scott Pitnick
Aug 17, 2006·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·L Holman, R R Snook
Mar 29, 2005·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Laura B Geyer, Stephen R Palumbi
Jan 22, 2020·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Cosima HotzySimone Immler
Jul 24, 2020·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Teri J Orr, Virginia Hayssen
Apr 21, 2007·Science·Rebecca DeanTommaso Pizzari

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