The evolution of expenditure on testes

Parker, Geoff A.

doi:10.1111/jzo.12297

Cited by 68 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 139 publications

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“…Male postcopulatory sexually selected traits, including testis size ( reviewed in Parker ) and sperm traits ( reviewed in Snook ), can be critical for sperm competition and reproductive success. However, environmental stressors may have detrimental effects on testes size and sperm quality (Gage and Cook ; Stockley and Seal ; Hellriegel and Blanckenhorn ; Engqvist ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult nutrition, but not inbreeding, affects male primary sexual traits in the leaf‐footed cactus bug Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

Joseph

Sasson

Allen

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Adverse conditions may be the norm rather than the exception in natural populations. Many populations experience poor nutrition on a seasonal basis. Further, brief interludes of inbreeding can be common as population density fluctuates and because of habitat fragmentation. Here, we investigated the effects of poor nutrition and inbreeding on traits that can be very important to reproductive success and fitness in males: testes mass, sperm concentration, and sperm viability. Our study species was Narnia femorata, a species introduced to north‐central Florida in the 1950s. This species encounters regular, seasonal changes in diet that can have profound phenotypic effects on morphology and behavior. We generated inbred and outbred individuals through a single generation of full‐sibling mating or outcrossing, respectively. All juveniles were provided a natural, high‐quality diet of Opuntia humifusa cactus cladode with fruit until they reached adulthood. New adult males were put on a high‐ or low‐quality diet for at least 21 days before measurements were taken. As expected, the low‐quality diet led to significantly decreased testes mass in both inbred and outbred males, although there were surprisingly no detectable effects on sperm traits. We did not find evidence that inbreeding affected testes mass, sperm concentration, and sperm viability. Our results highlight the immediate and overwhelming effects of nutrition on testes mass, while suggesting that a single generation of inbreeding might not be detrimental for primary sexual traits in this particular population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult nutrition, but not inbreeding, affects male primary sexual traits in the leaf‐footed cactus bug Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

Joseph

Sasson

Allen

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Sperm competition, mating rate and sperm limitation have affected the evolution of expenditure on testes in primates, as in many other groups of animals [Parker, 2016]. Short [1979] and Harcourt et al [1981] were the first to apply Parker's [1970] original insights concerning sperm competition to studies of primate reproduction.…”

Section: Relative Testes Sizes and Mating Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Copulatory and Postcopulatory Sexual Selection in Primates

Dixson¹

2018

IJFP

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Many aspects of primate reproductive anatomy and physiology have been influenced by copulatory and postcopulatory sexual selection, especially so in taxa where multiple-partner matings by females result in the sperm of rival males competing for access to a given set of ova (sperm competition). However, the female reproductive system also exerts profound effects upon sperm survival, storage and transport, raising the possibility that female traits influence male reproductive success (via cryptic female choice). Current knowledge of sperm competition and cryptic choice in primates and other mammals is reviewed here. The relevance of these comparative studies to our understanding of human reproduction and evolution is discussed.

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“…; Pitnick et al. ), and broadcast spawners to invest particularly intensely in sperm quantity (Parker ). Yet, positive relationships between sperm length and sperm competition levels have been reported for both anurans (Byrne et al.…”

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confidence: 99%

Ejaculate evolution in external fertilizers: Influenced by sperm competition or sperm limitation?

et al. 2017

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The evolution of sperm quality and quantity is shaped by various selective processes, with sperm competition generally considered the primary selective agent. Particularly in external fertilizers, however, sperm limitation through gamete dispersal can also influence gamete investments, but empirical data examining this effect are limited. Here, we studied the relative importance of sperm competition and the spawning conditions in explaining the macroevolutionary patterns of sperm size and number within two taxa with external fertilization but differences in their reproductive biology. In frogs, sperm swim slowly but for up to hours as they penetrate the gelatinous egg coating, whereas fish sperm typically swim fast, are very short-lived (seconds to minutes), and often face a relatively higher risk of being moved away from the ova by currents. Our phylogenetic models and path analyses revealed different trajectories of ejaculate evolution in these two taxa. Sperm size and number responded primarily to variation in sperm competition in the anurans, but more strongly to egg number and water turbulence in the fishes. Whereas the results across anurans align with the general expectation that sexual selection is the main driver of ejaculate evolution, our findings across the fishes suggest that sperm limitation has been underappreciated. K E Y W O R D S :Anurans, fishes, reproductive investment, sperm number, sperm length, sperm size-number trade-off.

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The evolution of expenditure on testes

Cited by 68 publications

References 139 publications

Adult nutrition, but not inbreeding, affects male primary sexual traits in the leaf‐footed cactus bug Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

Adult nutrition, but not inbreeding, affects male primary sexual traits in the leaf‐footed cactus bug Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

Copulatory and Postcopulatory Sexual Selection in Primates

Ejaculate evolution in external fertilizers: Influenced by sperm competition or sperm limitation?

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