Seminal fluid enhances competitiveness of territorial males' sperm in a fish with alternative male reproductive tactics

The Journal of Experimental Biology
Federica PoliMaria B Rasotto

Abstract

The most common adaptation to sperm competition in males is represented by an increase in the sperm number and/or quality released at mating, to raise their probability of egg fertilization. However, rapidly mounting evidence highlights that seminal fluid may directly influence the competitive fertilization success of a male by affecting either own and/or rival sperm performance. In the black goby, Gobius niger, an external fertilizer with guard-sneaker mating tactics and high sperm competition level, sneaker ejaculates contain less seminal fluid and more sperm, that are also of better quality, than those of territorial males. However, territorial males gain a higher paternity success inside natural nests. Here, we ask whether the seminal fluid can contribute to the reproductive success of territorial males by enhancing their sperm performance and/or by decreasing that of sneaker males. Using sperm and seminal fluid manipulation and in vitro fertilization tests, we found that own seminal fluid influences the velocity and fertilization ability of sperm only in territorial males, making them as fast as those of sneakers and with a similar fertilization rate. Moreover, both sneaker and territorial sperm remain unaffected by the se...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 7, 2019·Biology Open·Leon Green, Charlotta Kvarnemo
Jan 28, 2020·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Jukka KekäläinenHannu Huuskonen
Jun 26, 2020·Microscopy Research and Technique·Roberta PecoraroMaria Violetta Brundo
Oct 20, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Matthew C Kustra, Suzanne H Alonzo
Oct 20, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Helen L BayramPaula Stockley
Oct 20, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Steven A Ramm
Jan 11, 2022·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·T M MilewskiJ P Curley

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