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FIGURE 2 in Fine Structure Of The Male Genital Systems, Spermatophores And Unusual Sperm Cells Of Saxidromidae (Acari, Actinotrichida)
FIGURE 2: TEM micrographs of details of testis of Rhinodromus lootsi (a-c, e) and Saxidromus delamarei (d). (a) – Overview of testis. Note thick epithelium comprising the glandular part and area with round spermatids composing the germinal part of testis. Scale bar: 20 µm. (b)– Detail of glandular part showing large nuclei, conspicuous nucleoli and Golgi bodies. Scale bar: 5 µm. (c) – Nuclear region of glandular epithelial cell with numerous rough ER cisternae and Golgi bodies. Scale bar: 2 µm. (d) – Detail of germinal part of testis of S. delamarei showing synspermatid containing four nuclei (N1-N4). White arrows indicate cell membrane bordering the synspermatid. Note tubular invaginations at the cell peripheriy. Three acrosomal vacuoles (black arrows) and parts of acrosomal filaments are also seen. The nuclei, at the beginning of chromatin condensation, still have a nuclear envelope (arrowheads). Scale bar: 1 µm. (e) – Distal part of testis with large synspermatid. Two much condensed chromatin bodies are seen. Scale bar: 5 µm.
FIGURE 1 in Fine Structure Of The Male Genital Systems, Spermatophores And Unusual Sperm Cells Of Saxidromidae (Acari, Actinotrichida)
FIGURE 1: Light micrographs of transverse sections through the posterior part of the idiosoma of Rhinodromus lootsi. (a) – Shortly in front of the genital opening. The two vasa deferentia located below the midgut are seen containing several synspermia. (b) – Slightly posterior, the genital opening is appearing. The vasa deferentia are connected by a transverse bridge (asterisk indicates a shrinkage artifact). (c) – More posteriorly, the ejaculatory duct with its dorsal chamber appears (asterisk indicates artifact). (d) – The paired testis are seen consisting of germinal and glandular parts. The dorsomedian excretory organ (i.e. the postcolon; e.g., Alberti and Coons 1999) is seen. Note that all parts of the genital system are located ventral of the digestive system. Scale bar: 50 µm.
FIGURE 6 in Fine Structure Of The Male Genital Systems, Spermatophores And Unusual Sperm Cells Of Saxidromidae (Acari, Actinotrichida)
FIGURE 6: Comparison of mating by Saxidromus delamarei and Rhinodromus lootsi and their corresponding spermatophores as seen in TEM (that of Rh. lootsi partially reconstructed; a, d from Coineau et al., 2006, b from Alberti et al., 2007). (a) – Some details of the mating sequence from above to below: S. delamarei male (black) has captured a female with its forelegs and deposits a rather large spermatophore (arrow). The male then turns round and impales the female onto the spermatophore. The spermatophore almost fills the "entire" female. The male has to separate the upper part of the spermatophore (which is more or less in the female) from the lower part which is attached to the ground. (b) – Longitudinal section of spermatophore of S. delamarei. Note the considerable amount of secretion forming the spermatophore and the rather small sperm chamber containing dense secretion and many synspermia. (c) – Spermatophore of Rh. lootsi drawn to same scale as that of S. delamarei. The head is (largely) represented by one synspermium. Stalk added schematically. Scale bar for b and c: 50 µm. (d) – Mating sequence seen in Rh. lootsi. Note that the spermatophore (arrow) produced by the male is considerably smaller bearing a very small head (i.e., mainly the synspermium). The male can use the same stalk several times depositing further synspermia on it. The male inserts its dorsoanteriad protruding processus into the female's genital opening prior to spermatophore deposition (not shown; see Coineau et al., 2006 for more details).
Post-copulatory sexual selection is associated with sperm aggregate quality in Peromyscus mice
<p>In some species, sperm form coordinated groups that are hypothesized to improve their swimming performance in competitive contexts or to navigate through the viscous fluids of the female reproductive tract. Here we investigate sperm aggregation across closely-related species of <i>Peromyscus </i>mice that naturally vary by mating system to test the predictions that sperm aggregates (1) are faster than solitary sperm in species that females mate multiply to aid cells in sperm competition, and (2) outperform solitary sperm cells in viscous environments. We find significant variation in the size of sperm aggregates, which negatively associates with relative testis mass, a proxy for sperm competition risk, suggesting that post-copulatory sexual selection has a stabilizing effect on sperm group size. Moreover, our results show that sperm aggregates are faster than solitary sperm in some, but not all, species, and this can vary by fluid viscosity. Of the two species that produce the largest and most frequent groups, we find that sperm aggregates from the promiscuous <i>P. maniculatus</i> are faster than solitary sperm in every experimentally viscous environment but aggregation provides no such kinematic advantage under these same conditions for the monogamous <i>P. polionotus</i>. The reduced performance of <i>P. polionotus</i> aggregates is associated with less efficient aggregate geometry and the inclusion of immotile or morphological abnormal sperm. Our cross-species comparison yields insight into the evolution of sperm social behaviors, provides evidence of extensive variation in the <i>Peromyscus</i> lineage, and reveals that differences in sperm aggregate quality associate with post-copulatory sexual selection.</p>
Distinctive, fine-scale distribution of Eastern Caribbean sperm whale vocal clans reflects island fidelity rather than environmental variables
<p>Environmental variables are often the primary drivers of species' distributions as they define their niche. However, individuals, or groups of individuals, may sometimes adopt a limited range within this larger suitable habitat as a result of social and cultural processes. This is the case for Eastern Caribbean sperm whales. While environmental variables are reasonably successful in describing the general distribution of sperm whales in the region, individuals from different cultural groups have distinct distributions around the Lesser Antilles islands. Using data collected over two years of dedicated surveys in the Eastern Caribbean, we conducted habitat modelling and habitat suitability analyses to investigate the mechanisms responsible for such fine-scale distribution patterns. Vocal clan-specific models were dramatically more successful at predicting distribution than general species models, showing how a failure to incorporate social factors can impede accurate predictions. Habitat variation between islands did not explain vocal clan distributions, suggesting that cultural group segregation in the Eastern Caribbean sperm whale is driven by traditions of site/island fidelity (most likely maintained through conformism and homophily) rather than habitat type specialization. Our results provide evidence for the key role of cultural knowledge in shaping habitat use of sperm whales within suitable environmental conditions and highlight the importance of cultural factors in shaping sperm whale ecology. We recommend that social and cultural information be incorporated into conservation and management as culture can segregate populations on fine spatial scales in the absence of environmental variability.</p>
Data set for sperm storage in female squid, Todarodes pacificus
<p><span>Female eumetazoans often develop sperm storage organs (SSOs). Although the processes of sperm storage may influence post-copulatory sexual selection in polyandrous species, the significance of multiple SSOs is not understood. In contrast to coastal squids (which develop no more than two SSOs), the female <em>Todarodes pacificus</em>, a more oceanic species, develops more than 20 SSOs, which take the form of specialized pockets, called seminal receptacles (SRs), near the mouth. We investigated the sperm storage pattern of SRs by paternity analysis of hatchlings obtained after artificial insemination using sperm retrieved from 6 arbitrarily selected SRs. The results showed that </span><span>females</span><span> were capable of storing sperm contributed by 9 to 23 males, indicating that females are broadly </span><span>promiscuous</span><span>. In the pattern of sperm storage, the number of males and proportion of their sperm present in the SRs varied among SRs, and sperm storage was biased towards particular males at the individual SR level. However, when calculated as a proportion of all the SRs within a female, the number of sires increased and the paternity bias towards any particular male weakened. These results suggest that one function of having multiple SRs in <em>T. pacificus</em> may be to ensure genetic diversity of the offspring.</span></p>
Astrangia sperm sAC
<p>Data and script for Astrangia sperm sAC project.</p>
Data for: Ranking the importance of factors driving siring success during sperm competition in the North African houbara bustard
<p><span>Sperm competition is a powerful force driving the evolution of ejaculate and sperm traits. However, the outcome of sperm competition depends on many traits that extend beyond ejaculate quality. Here, we studied male North African houbara bustards (</span><em><span>Chlamydotis undulata undulata</span></em><span>) competing for egg fertilization, after artificial insemination, with the aim to rank the importance of 14 parameters as drivers of siring success. Using a machine learning approach, we showed that traits independent of male quality (i.e., insemination order, delay between insemination and egg laying) were the most important predictors of siring success. Traits describing intrinsic male quality (i.e., number of sperm in the ejaculate, mass motility index) were also positively associated with siring success, but their contribution to explaining the outcome of sperm competition was much lower than for insemination order. Overall, this analysis shows that males mating at the last position in the mating sequence have the best chance to win the competition for egg fertilization. This raises the question of the importance of female behavior as determinant of mating order. </span></p>
Genetic diversity and sperm characteristics are not associated in two bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) populations
<p>Individual heterozygosity may influence the expression of fitness-related traits, via genome-wide or local genetic effects. Earlier studies have shown negative relationships between heterozygosity and sperm variation, predominantly in captive, highly inbred populations. Little is known about the possible influence of variation in heterozygosity on sperm traits in wild, outbred populations. We studied two populations of the bluethroat, one from the widely distributed northern subspecies (<em>Luscinia</em>. <em>s</em>. <em>svecica</em>) and the other from the smaller, more patchily distributed subspecies breeding along the French coast of Brittany (<em>L. s. namnetum</em>). The two subspecies differed significantly in body size, plumage colour, sperm traits and the degree of genetic diversity. However, there was no evidence that sperm traits (total length and motility) were influenced by the degree of heterozygosity at the individual level. In contrast, we found that male body size was positively related to heterozygosity across both populations, indicating a possible relationship between overall genetic diversity and general vigour or ability to obtain food. We conclude that sperm traits are unrelated to levels of heterozygosity in the studied outbred and weakly genetically depauperate bluethroat populations.</p>
Data from: Social group composition modulates the role of last male sperm precedence in post-copulatory sexual selection
<p>In many species, the order in which males mate with a female explains much of the variation in paternity arising from post-copulatory sexual selection. Research in <em>Drosophila</em> suggests that mating order may account for the majority of the variance in male reproductive success. However, the effects of mating order on paternity bias might not be static but could potentially vary with social or environmental factors. To test this idea, we used an existing dataset, collated from an experiment we previously published (Morimoto et al. 2016), with the addition of unpublished data from the same experiment. These previous experiments manipulated larval density in <em>Drosophila</em> <em>melanogaster</em> which generated variation in male and female body size, assembled groups of individuals of different sizes, and measured the mating success and paternity share of focal males. The data presented here provide information on each focal male's mating order and the frequency in which focal males remated with the same females ('repetitive matings'). We combined this information with our previously reported focal male reproductive success to partition variance in paternity into male mating order and repetitive matings across groups that differed in the body size composition of males and females. We found, as expected, that male mating order explained a considerable portion of the variance in male paternity. However, we also found that the impact of male mating order on male paternity was influenced by the body size composition of groups. Specifically, males that tended to mate last had a greater paternity advantage, and displayed lower variance, in groups containing a heterogenous mixture of male body sizes than in groups with a single male body size. Repetitive mating only had a minor contribution to the variance in male paternity share across all experiments. Overall, our findings contribute to the growing body of research showing that post-copulatory sexual selection is subject to socio-ecological influences.</p>
Rapid sperm length divergence in a polygynandrous passerine: a mechanism of cryptic speciation?
<p>When populations become geographically isolated, they begin to diverge in various traits and at variable rates. The dynamics of such trait divergences are relevant for understanding evolutionary processes such as local adaptation and speciation. Here we examine divergences in sperm and body structures in a polygynandrous songbird, the alpine accentor (<em>Prunella</em> <em>collaris</em>) between two allopatric high-altitude populations, in Morocco and Spain. The populations diverged around 82,000 years ago, as estimated with a coalescence-based phylogenetic analysis of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. We found that birds in the two areas had non-overlapping sperm lengths. This suggests adaptation to divergent female reproductive tract environments. Sperm length also showed an exceptionally low coefficient of among-male variation, a signal of strong stabilizing selection imposed by sperm competition. The evolutionary rate of sperm length was almost twice the rates for the most divergent morphological traits, and more than three times higher than expected from literature data over a similar generational timescale. This rapid evolution of a key reproductive trait has implications for reproductive isolation and ultimately for speciation. Strong selection for different sperm length optima in allopatry predicts conspecific sperm precedence and disruptive selection in sympatry, hence a possible postcopulatory prezygotic barrier to gene flow.</p>
Data for: A predominant role of genotypic variation in both expression of sperm competition genes and paternity success in Drosophila melanogaster
<p>The study focuses on investigating the impact of both environmental and genotypic variations on the expression of sperm competition genes and relative paternity success (i.e. second male paternity; P2) in Drosophila melanogaster. To address this, the research leverages the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) inbred lines and introduces manipulation of developmental population density, specifically larval density. This experimental design allows for the examination of the effects of genotype, environment, and potential genotype-environment interactions (GEI) on the expression of seminal fluid genes, namely Sex Peptide, Acp36DE, and CG9997 and sperm competitiveness. In light of the observed genotypic influence on genes' expression, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was also conducted for Sex Peptide and Acp36DE.</p>
CASA overview and single sperm
<p>Overview of one-second video from CASA (IVOS II) and single-cell video</p> <p>pig ID 1470, taken on 4<sup>th</sup> May 2023</p>
Within-female sperm allocation—Males inseminate at three different female body sites according to female mating history in a squid
<p>Theory predicts that males should allocate their costly sperm according to future mate availability and focal female conditions, e.g. promiscuity and fecundity, to maximise lifetime reproductive success. Some squids show insemination site polymorphism within a female—males deposit sperm capsules at different female body locations. Whether the choice of insemination site is influenced by the sperm-storing status of the female remains untested. We studied the squid <em>Loliolus sumatrensis</em> – the females possess three insemination sites: the buccal membrane (BM), basal left IV arm (ARM) and lateral head behind the left eye (EYE). Analysis of seasonal dynamics identified a set priority for the initial use of insemination sites as BM then ARM then EYE, whereas the maximum number of stored spermatangia was greater as EYE>ARM>BM. The maturity status of females was correlated with the pattern, but not number, of inseminations. We found multiple paternity at all sites and the same genotypes in spermatangia collected from all three sites, suggesting male squids allocate their sperm to multiple insemination sites during a single mating episode according to the status of female sperm-storage. This study uncovered unusual within-female sperm allocation – male mating behaviours were influenced by female mating history.</p>
Carved Sperm Whale Tooth (Scrimshaw)
This engraved Sperm Whale Tooth with a farewell maritime scene comes from the collection of the [Scottish Fisheries Museum](http://http://www.scotfishmuseum.org/) in Anstruther (Fife). The art of engraving designs on to the teeth, bones or baleen of sperm whales and other marine mammals is called a scrimshaw. It was a common pastime of sailers on long whaling voyages. Sperm whales have 23 pairs of teeth which were particularly prized for scrimshaw. After extraction, the teeth were scraped smooth and polished. The design could be engraved freehand or copied using a template. The 3D model was created by the Scottish Maritime Museum as a part of the Scanning The Horizon project, working with collections from Industrial Museums Scotland ([Go Industrial](http://www.goindustrial.co.uk/)). Source: Objaverse 1.0 / Sketchfab
The Efficiency of a New Sperm-Wash Device for Intrauterine Insemination in Couples With Infertility
ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT06956287. IPD Sharing: NO. Countries: 1. Publications: 10.
In Vitro Fertilisation Versus Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection in Patients Without Severe Male Factor Infertility
ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT04128904. IPD Sharing: YES. Countries: 1. Publications: 12.
Evaluation Of Sperm Production With Healthy Male Volunteers Receiving Lyrica Or Placebo
ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT00631696. IPD Sharing: Not stated. Countries: 1. Publications: 1.
Study of the Consumer Use of a New Home Test to Measure Sperm Concentration
ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT02475395. IPD Sharing: Not stated. Countries: 1. Publications: 1.
Sperm Selection by Microfluidic Separation Improves Embryo Quality
ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT03085433. IPD Sharing: NO. Countries: 1. Publications: 1.
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