Seasonal changes in the biochemistry of seminal plasma and sperm motility in the ocean pout,Macrozoarces americanus

Abstract

Sperm motility, pH and osmolality of seminal plasma varied throughout the reproductive season spanning the period from June to September. Initially, sperm motility was low, peaked in July and August and then fell again towards the end of the spawning season. While the pH of seminal plasma increased from pH 7.4 to 7.9 during the period of spermiation, the average seasonal pH (7.78 ± 0.03) remained close to an experimentally determined optimum pH range for ocean pout sperm motility (pH 8-9). Likewise, although the values for seminal plasma osmolality fell during the reproductive season, from 416-339 mmol kg-', the average osmolality value 356 3 was within the optimum for sperm motility (300-400 mmol kg-'). In comparing fluctuations in sperm motility with the biochemical composition of ocean pout seminal plasma during the spawning season, this analysis showed that increased Mg ++ levels were correlated with the summer period of maximum sperm motility. A seasonal decline in Na + and Cl ion levels was reflected in lower seminal plasma osmolality values.

Unusual motility characteristics of sperm of the spotted wolffish

“…Thus, the maximal motility is found at osmolalities close to that experienced by the sperm in seminal fluid. In ocean pout, which have similar sperm characteristics and reproductive biology to the spotted wolffish, maximal motility is recorded at 300-400 mOsm, whereas no motility was recorded <250 or >450 mOsm (Wang & Crim, 1997). Thus, the osmolality range for motility seems much more narrow in the ocean pout than that of the spotted wolffish.…”

Effects of re-stripping on the seminal characteristics of pacu ( Piaractus mesopotamicus ) during the breeding season

“…Variations in teleost seminal characteristics during the breeding season, such as volume, sperm density and motility, duration of motility, morphology, and pH, have been previously reported for marine (Wang and Crim, 1997;Mylonas et al, 2003;Cabrita et al, 2006;Lanes et al, 2010) and freshwater species (Büyükhatipoglu and Holtz, 1984;Koldras et al, 1996;Luz et al, 2001;Alavi and Cosson, 2006), as well as masculinized females (Nynca et al, 2012).…”

Estimation of Male Reproductive Success of Marine Fisheries

“…There is a need for studies that challenge sperm in seawater diluted mixtures. Assessment of seasonal changes in sperm motility is also required (Wang and Crim, 1997;Shangguan and Crim, 1999). Ageing of spermatozoa is also an interesting feature of sperm production in many marine fish species.…”