The outcome of sperm competition is affected by behavioural and anatomical reproductive traits in a simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail

Abstract

Sperm competition is important in species with reproductive strategies that involve multiple mating and prolonged sperm storage such as the simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail Cornu aspersum. Double mating trials in this species have revealed that mating order and courtship behaviour affect paternity success. We investigated the effect of behavioural and anatomical reproductive traits on paternity success from triple mating trials. Triple mating resulted in triple fertilization in 58% of the cases whereas zero paternity was observed in 16% of sperm donors. Third sperm donors achieved higher paternity followed by first and second sperm donors. Snails with a longer epiphallus, the spermatophore forming organ, sired more offspring regardless of their mating order. Genetic compatibility between sperm donor and recipient did not influence paternity success. The results of the present study identified mating order and epiphallus length, as traits affecting the outcome of sperm competition in this species.

Potential syndromes linking dispersal and reproduction in the hermaphrodite land snail Cornu aspersum

“…Given these values and the cost of movement in snails, trade‐offs between movement and female fecundity can be expected, especially because the galactogen that composes most of albumen gland reserves (Bride & Gomot, ) is more difficult to remobilize than other types of reserves in pulmonate gastropods (Livingstone & De Zwaan, ). In contrast, we did not find an effect of penis complex size (a proxy of spermatophore size and therefore paternity success, Tompa, ; Garefalaki et al ., ) on movement. This may be because compared to female investment, male investment represents a smaller toll to pay for snails (<5% of the reproductive energy allocation in the related helicid snail Arianta arbustorum after up to three matings; Locher & Baur, ; see also Table ).…”

Sex Allocation Adjustment to Mating Group Size in a Simultaneous Hermaphrodite

“…; Pongratz and Michiels ; Garefalaki et al. ; P. Sandner et al., unpubl. ms.), which ultimately leads to a skewed representation of a donor's sperm in the partners sperm storage organ.…”

Sexual Conflict in Hermaphrodites

“…Cite this article as Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2015;7:a017673 maximization of the amount of transferred sperm that are retained in storage and used for fertilization (e.g., Landolfa et al 2001;Rogers and Chase 2002;Chase and Blanchard 2006;Dillen et al 2009;Garefalaki et al 2010;. In the following, we discuss first one especially relevant target of manipulation in simultaneous hermaphrodites, namely, aspects of the recipient's sex allocation (Charnov 1979;Michiels 1998), and then consider the various ways in which manipulative substances can be transferred from the donor to the recipient.…”