Cryptic preference for MHC-dissimilar females in male red junglefowl,<i>Gallus gallus</i>

Gillingham, Mark A. F.; Richardson, David S.; Løvlie, Hanne; Moynihan, Anna; Worley, Kirsty; Pizzari, Tommaso

doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1549

Cited by 66 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 106 publications

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“…Our study provides evidence that in M. galloprovincialis, the fertilization benefits of sperm chemoattraction extend 'upstream' to include enhanced offspring viability. Consequently, our study contributes to an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that postmating sexually selected mechanisms have the potential to generate fertilization biases in favour of compatible partners [35][36][37], although via a previously undocumented mechanism (sperm chemoattraction).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

2014

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Sperm chemoattraction, where sperm locate unfertilized eggs by following a concentration gradient of egg-derived chemoattractants, has been widely documented across numerous taxa. While marine invertebrates are favoured models for understanding the underlying mechanisms of sperm chemoattraction, the evolutionary forces underpinning the process remain enigmatic. Here, we show that in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), chemically moderated gamete preferences promote assortative fertilizations between genetically compatible gametes. When offered the choice of egg clutches from two females, sperm exhibited consistent but differential 'preferences' for chemical cues secreted from conspecific eggs. Critically, our data reveal that the preferences shown by sperm during the egg-choice trials are highly predictive of early embryonic viability when eggs and sperm from the same individuals are mixed during standard (no-choice) fertilization assays. Moreover, we demonstrate that by experimentally separating chemoattractants from eggs, sperm swimming behaviour is differentially regulated by eggderived chemoattractants, and that these changes in sperm behaviour are highly consistent with observed patterns of gamete preferences, fertilization and larval survival. Together, this integrated series of experiments reveals that the behaviour of sperm is fine-tuned to respond differentially to the chemical signals emitted from different conspecific eggs, and that these choices have measurable fitness benefits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

2014

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“…36). Indeed, some of the most convincing demonstrations of cryptic female choice/sperm choice have shown fertilization bias patterns based on MHC loci genotype (68,69) or that are consistent with adaptation to avoid selfing (e.g., ref. 70) or inbreeding (e.g., refs.71 and 72), which also may fail to generate directional sexual selection (18).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female mediation of competitive fertilization success in Drosophila melanogaster

Lüpold

Pitnick

Berben

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

109

178

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How females store and use sperm after remating can generate postcopulatory sexual selection on male ejaculate traits. Variation in ejaculate performance traits generally is thought to be intrinsic to males but is likely to interact with the environment in which sperm compete (e.g., the female reproductive tract). Our understanding of female contributions to competitive fertilization success is limited, however, in part because of the challenges involved in observing events within the reproductive tract of internally fertilizing species while discriminating among sperm from competing males. Here, we used females from crosses among isogenic lines of Drosophila melanogaster, each mated to two genetically standardized males (the first with green-and the second with red-tagged sperm heads) to demonstrate heritable variation in female remating interval, progeny production rate, sperm-storage organ morphology, and a number of sperm performance, storage, and handling traits. We then used multivariate analyses to examine relationships between this female-mediated variation and competitive paternity. In particular, the timing of female ejection of excess second-male and displaced first-male sperm was genetically variable and, by terminating the process of sperm displacement, significantly influenced the relative numbers of sperm from each male competing for fertilization, and consequently biased paternity. Our results demonstrate that females do not simply provide a static arena for sperm competition but rather play an active and pivotal role in postcopulatory processes. Resolving the adaptive significance of genetic variation in female-mediated mechanisms of sperm handling is critical for understanding sexual selection, sexual conflict, and the coevolution of male and female reproductive traits.cryptic female choice | heritability | sperm ejection

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“…Consequently, sperm competition has been credited with the rapid evolution and spectacular diversity of ejaculate traits observed across numerous taxa [2,3], thus dispelling the notion that sperm cells are shaped solely by natural selection to function as 'DNA-delivery machines' [4]. Accompanying the evidence for sexual selection on ejaculates is corresponding evidence that selection can favour female reproductive traits that serve to bias fertilizations towards either 'preferred' [5] or genetically compatible mates [6][7][8]. Sperm competition can therefore be underpinned by effects attributable to both sexes, including relative differences in the sperm competitive ability of rival males [9][10][11], consistent biases in fertilization rates that are mediated by female effects [12], and complex interactions involving the genotypes of competing males and females [13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delineating the roles of males and females in sperm competition

et al. 2013

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Disentangling the relative roles of males, females and their interactive effects on competitive fertilization success remains a challenge in sperm competition. In this study, we apply a novel experimental framework to an ideally suited externally fertilizing model system in order to delineate these roles. We focus on the chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, a species in which ovarian fluid (OF) has been implicated as a potential arbiter of cryptic female choice for genetically compatible mates. We evaluated this predicted sexually selected function of OF using a series of factorial competitive fertilization trials. Our design involved a series of 10 factorial crosses, each involving two 'focal' rival males whose sperm competed against those from a single 'standardized' (non-focal) rival for a genetically uniform set of eggs in the presence of OF from two focal females. This design enabled us to attribute variation in competitive fertilization success among focal males, females (OF) and their interacting effects, while controlling for variation attributable to differences in the sperm competitive ability of rival males, and male-by-female genotypic interactions. Using this experimental framework, we found that variation in sperm competitiveness could be attributed exclusively to differences in the sperm competitive ability of focal males, a conclusion supported by subsequent analyses revealing that variation in sperm swimming velocity predicts paternity success. Together, these findings provide evidence that variation in paternity success can be attributed to intrinsic differences in the sperm competitive ability of rival males, and reveal that sperm swimming velocity is a key target of sexual selection.

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Cryptic preference for MHC-dissimilar females in male red junglefowl,Gallus gallus

Cited by 66 publications

References 106 publications

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

Chemically moderated gamete preferences predict offspring fitness in a broadcast spawning invertebrate

Female mediation of competitive fertilization success in Drosophila melanogaster

Delineating the roles of males and females in sperm competition

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