Sperm competition risk drives rapid ejaculate adjustments mediated by seminal fluid

ELife
Michael J BartlettPatrice C Rosengrave

Abstract

In many species, males can make rapid adjustments to ejaculate performance in response to sperm competition risk; however, the mechanisms behind these changes are not understood. Here, we manipulate male social status in an externally fertilising fish, chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and find that in less than 48 hr, males can upregulate sperm velocity when faced with an increased risk of sperm competition. Using a series of in vitro sperm manipulation and competition experiments, we show that rapid changes in sperm velocity are mediated by seminal fluid and the effect of seminal fluid on sperm velocity directly impacts paternity share and therefore reproductive success. These combined findings, completely consistent with sperm competition theory, provide unequivocal evidence that sperm competition risk drives plastic adjustment of ejaculate quality, that seminal fluid harbours the mechanism for the rapid adjustment of sperm velocity and that fitness benefits accrue to males from such adjustment.

Associated Datasets

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Citations

Nov 1, 2017·ELife·Tom Pizzari
Sep 30, 2018·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Erin L MacartneyAngela J Crean
Mar 1, 2019·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Willian T A F SilvaSimone Immler
Jan 28, 2020·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Jukka KekäläinenHannu Huuskonen
May 31, 2020·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Carlos E LaraShinichi Nakagawa
Jul 3, 2020·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Gabriela CardozoAndrea Pilastro
Sep 3, 2020·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Joe A MoschillaLeigh W Simmons
Sep 10, 2020·Ecology Letters·Jean-François LemaîtreSteven A Ramm
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Aug 15, 2018·Nature Neuroscience·Jason A KellerLisa Stowers
Oct 20, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Steven A Ramm
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·Rômulo CarleialTommaso Pizzari
Oct 20, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·John L Fitzpatrick
Dec 17, 2019·Current Biology : CB·Bahar PatlarSteven A Ramm
Mar 13, 2021·Behavioral Ecology : Official Journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·Charel ReulandJohn L Fitzpatrick

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
genotyping
PCR
PCRs

Software Mentioned

Excel
R Core Team
nlme
LMERConvenienceFunctions
lmerTest
Deducer
R
lme4
RVAideMemoire
ggplot2

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