Effects of male telomeres on probability of paternity in sand lizards

Abstract

Standardized swim-up trials are used in in vitro fertilization clinics to select particularly motile spermatozoa in order to increase the probability of a successful fertilization. Such trials demonstrate that sperm with longer telomeres have higher motility and lower levels of DNA damage. Regardless of whether sperm motility, and successful swim-up to fertilization sites, is a direct or correlational effect of telomere length or DNA damage, covariation between telomere length and sperm performance predicts a relationship between telomere length and probability of paternity in sperm competition, a prediction that for ethical reasons cannot be tested on humans. Here, we test this prediction in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) using experimental data from twice-mated females in a laboratory population, and telomere length in blood from the participating lizards. Female identity influenced paternity (while the mechanism was not identified), while relatively longer male telomeres predicted higher probability of paternity. We discuss potential mechanisms underpinning this result.

Associations of sperm telomere length with semen parameters, clinical outcomes and lifestyle factors in human normozoospermic samples

“…This elongation phenomenon is inherited from the father to offspring independently to the offspring sex 56 and seems to be conserved across species. 57,58 Interestingly, this paternal inheritance is also evident in leucocytes. 59 Older parental age at conception has been shown to have a negative effect on both offspring viability in mice 60 and the overall fitness of offspring in humans.…”

Sperm telomere length correlates with blood telomeres and body size in red‐sided garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis

“…It is possible that the correlation we have observed may be strengthened by interstitial telomeres, which qPCR cannot exclude (Foote, Vleck, & Vleck, 2013. Interstitial telomeres, which usually reside near centromeres, are thought to be the remnants of ancestral intrachromosomal rearrangements (Hastie & Allshire, 1989 and may have fitness consequences of their own (Pauliny et al 2018). We note that the difference in STL and BTL we report would be unaffected by interstitial telomeres, so our results strongly suggest that there is variation in interactions between telomere cell types and life-history traits.…”

“…In humans, sperm with longer telomeres are more successful in standardized swim-up trials used to select the 'best' sperm for assisted reproduction, indicating a positive relationship between STL and sperm motility and viability (Santiso et al, 2010). A study on sand lizards, Lacerta agilis, showed that longer male blood telomeres result in a higher probability of paternity (Pauliny et al 2018). While that study did not investigate STL specifically, its results coupled with the correlation between STL and BTL in the present study suggest an interesting avenue for investigation.…”

“…As individual telomere lengths may be predictors of survival (Haussmann, Winkler, & Vleck, 2005, Noguera, Metcalfe, & Monaghan, 2018, Salomons et al, 2009Olsson et al, 2011;Young et al, 2017) and can determine the capacity for cellular repair in an organism (Wong et al, 2000;Sacco et al, 2010;Jaskelioff et al, 2011), paternal sperm telomere length (STL) may be an important factor affecting the fitness of successive generations. Telomerase activity is higher in germline tissue compared with somatic cells, where telomerase is usually suppressed as a guard against tumour formation and cancer (Pauliny et al 2018. The inheritance of paternal telomere length has been observed across a range of taxa, but research has focussed largely on blood cells (Nordfjall et al, 2005;Olsson et al, 2011;de Frutos et al, 2016).…”

Exercise training has morph-specific effects on telomere, body condition and growth dynamics in a color-polymorphic lizard

“…Furthermore, individuals of some species with longer telomeres tend to have higher relative reproductive fitness (e.g. sand lizards: Olsson et al, 2011;Pauliny et al, 2018). All else being equal, there is some evidence that differences in telomere length and shortening among individuals reflect their quality (e.g.…”