Sperm selection by females

Olsson, Mats; Shine, Richard; Madsen, Thomas; Gullberg, Annica; Tegelström, Håkan

doi:10.1038/383585a0

Cited by 267 publications

(239 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…For example, the deleterious fitness consequences of inbreeding are well established, and often include increased reproductive failure due to the unmasking of lethal recessive alleles in the offspring of closely related individuals (Lacy et al 1993;Lande 1994). There is also growing evidence that females of diverse taxa may be capable of sperm selection on the basis of male genetic similarity or relatedness, an adaptation that could potentially enable polyandrous females to reduce the costs of inbreeding (Olsson et al 1996;Stockley 1999;Kraaijeveld-Smit et al 2002). However, although there is growing evidence that moderate inbreeding may occur in many natural mammal populations, increased selection in such populations may be expected to reduce or purge the genetic load of lethal recessive alleles (Lacy & Ballou 1998;Crnokrak & Roff 1999;Keller & Waller 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, a relatively low risk of inbreeding may be sufficient to maintain selection for polyandry and sperm selection where costs of inbreeding are high (Tregenza & Wedell 2002). Further investigation is thus needed to determine if inbreeding avoidance is a common benefit of polyandry (Stockley et al 1993;Olsson et al 1996;Tregenza & Wedell 2002), and to establish the effectiveness of selection for reducing the genetic load in natural populations (Lacy & Ballou 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Progress in this field is also limited because post-copulatory selection mechanisms for biasing paternity are notoriously difficult to investigate directly (Birkhead 1998). Current evidence indicates that females of internally fertilizing taxa may be capable of sperm selection on the basis of genetic incompatibility at specific loci (Wedekind et al 1996), or genetic similarity (Olsson et al 1996;Stockley 1999;Tregenza & Wedell 2002;but see Stockley 1997;Cunningham & Cheng 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zeh 1997;Birkhead 1998;Stockley 1997Stockley , 1999Newcomer et al 1999;Eady et al 2000;Tregenza & Wedell 1998Olsson & Madsen 2001). According to the genetic incompatibility avoidance hypothesis, an important function of polyandry is that it enables females to exploit post-copulatory paternity-biasing mechanisms to minimize the risk and cost of fertilization by genetically incompatible sperm (Zeh & Zeh 1996; see also Haig & Bergstrom 1995;Olsson et al 1996). Genetic incompatibility can result from a variety of potential sources, including dominance, over-dominance, intra-and intergenomic conflict, foeto-maternal interactions and immune system function (reviewed in Zeh & Zeh 1996Tregenza & Wedell 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Female multiple mating behaviour, early reproductive failure and litter size variation in mammals

Stockley

2003

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

105

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Female promiscuity is widespread among mammals, although its function is poorly understood. Recently, much interest has been generated by the hypothesis that female promiscuity, combined with postcopulatory paternity-biasing mechanisms, may function to reduce the costs of reproductive failure resulting from genetic incompatibility. Here, a comparative approach is used to determine if average rates of reproductive failure differ for polytocous mammal species with contrasting levels of female multiple-mating behaviour. After control for phylogeny, promiscuous species were found to have significantly lower rates of early reproductive failure than monogamous and polygynous species, in which females are relatively monandrous. Monandrous females appear to compensate for higher early reproductive failure with increased ova production, and thus produce comparable average litter sizes to those of more promiscuous females. However, there is significantly more variation around the average litter sizes produced by relatively monandrous females. These findings are broadly consistent with predictions of the genetic incompatibility avoidance hypothesis, although it is emphasized that alternative explanations cannot be ruled out on the basis of the comparative evidence presented. Further studies are needed to explore ecological correlates of multiple-mating behaviour, to investigate potential post-copulatory paternity-biasing mechanisms, and to identify the causes of reproductive failure in natural mammal populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Female multiple mating behaviour, early reproductive failure and litter size variation in mammals

Stockley

2003

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

105

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“…Provided that there is enough genetic variance for mate quality (or compatibility), genetic benefits will always accompany any direct benefits ( Jennions & Petrie 2000;Fedorka & Mousseau 2002). Studies that have found some support for genetic benefits tested the prediction that polyandrous females should have fitter progeny than monogamous females (Madsen et al 1992;Olsson et al 1996;Watson 1998;Tregenza & Wedell 1998;Evans & Magurran 2000;Bernasconi & Keller 2001;Konior et al 2001;Fedorka & Mousseau 2002;Pai & Yan 2002;Sakaluk et al 2002;Kamimura 2003). However, the increased opportunity to choose a mate by polyandrous females could influence their investment in their progeny (Simmons 1987;Wedell 1996;Pearse et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good genes and the maternal effects of polyandry on offspring reproductive success in the bulb mite

Kozielska

Krzemińska

Radwan

2004

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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Genetic benefits are potentially the most robust explanation of the controversial issue of evolutionary maintenance of polyandry, but the unambiguous demonstration of such benefits has been hindered by the possibility of their confusion with maternal effects. Previous research has shown that polyandrous bulb mite females produce daughters with higher fecundity than monandrous females. Here, we investigate whether this effect arises because polyandrous females invest more in their offspring, or because their offspring inherit 'good genes' from their fathers. Females were mated with either one or four (different) males. However, by sterilizing three of the four males with ionizing radiation, we eliminated any chance of sexual selection (in the polyandrous treatment) so that any differences in the female mating regimes must have been owing to maternal effects. Polyandry had no significant effect on daughter fecundity, thus indicating that any previously documented effects must have been genetic. This was further supported by a significant association between fathers' offensive sperm-competitive ability and the fecundity of their daughters. The association with fathers' sperm defensive ability was not significant, and neither was the association between fathers' sperm competitiveness and sons' reproductive success. However, sons of polyandrous females had lower reproductive success than sons of monandrous females. This shows that the maternal effects of polyandry should be taken into account whenever its costs and benefits are being considered.

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Ultrastructure of the reproductive system of the black swamp snake (Seminatrix pygaea): Part I. Evidence for oviducal sperm storage

Sever

Ryan

1999

J. Morphol.

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Oviducal sperm storage in the viviparous (lecithotrophic) colubrid snake Seminatrix pygaea was studied by light and electron microscopy. Out of 17 adult snakes examined from May-October, sperm were found in the oviducts of only two specimens. In a preovulatory female sacrificed 14 May, sperm were found in the oviducal lumen and sperm storage tubules (SSTs) of the posterior infundibulum. In a nonvitellogenic female sacrificed 9 June, sperm were found in the lumen and glands of the posterior uterus and anterior vagina, indicating a recent mating. The glands in the posterior infundibulum and vagina were simple or compound tubular, whereas glands in the uterus always were simple tubular. The epithelium of the sperm storage glands was not modified from that lining the rest of the oviduct. The cuboidal or columnar epithelium consisted of alternating ciliated and secretory areas. The secretory product released into the lumen by a merocrine process contained mucoprotein. Lipid droplets also were numerous in the epithelium. Portions of sperm sometimes were embedded in the apical cytoplasm or in secretory material. A carrier matrix containing a mucoid substance, desquamated epithelium, lipids, membranous structures, and possibly phagocytes was found around sperm in the posterior uterus.

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Sperm selection by females

Cited by 267 publications

References 8 publications

Female multiple mating behaviour, early reproductive failure and litter size variation in mammals

Female multiple mating behaviour, early reproductive failure and litter size variation in mammals

Good genes and the maternal effects of polyandry on offspring reproductive success in the bulb mite

Ultrastructure of the reproductive system of the black swamp snake (Seminatrix pygaea): Part I. Evidence for oviducal sperm storage

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