Dataset Information

Sperm morphology, sperm motility and paternity success in the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica).

ABSTRACT: Postcopulatory sexual selection may select for male primary sexual characteristics like sperm morphology and sperm motility, through sperm competition or cryptic female choice. However, how such characteristics influence male fertilization success remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate possible correlations between sperm characteristics and paternity success in the socially monogamous bluethroat (Luscinia svecica svecica), predicting that sperm length and sperm swimming speed is positively correlated with paternity success. In total, 25% (15/61) of broods contained extra-pair offspring and 10% (33/315) of the offspring were sired by extra-pair males. Paternity success did not correlate significantly with sperm morphology or any aspects of sperm motility. Furthermore, sperm morphology and sperm motility did not correlate significantly with male morphological characters that previously have been shown to be associated with paternity success. Thus, the sperm characteristics investigated here do not appear to be strong predictors of paternity success in bluethroats.

SUBMITTER: Sætre CLC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5839561 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sperm morphology, sperm motility and paternity success in the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica).

Sætre Camilla Lo Cascio CLC Johnsen Arild A Stensrud Even E Cramer Emily R A ERA

PloS one 20180306 3

Postcopulatory sexual selection may select for male primary sexual characteristics like sperm morphology and sperm motility, through sperm competition or cryptic female choice. However, how such characteristics influence male fertilization success remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate possible correlations between sperm characteristics and paternity success in the socially monogamous bluethroat (Luscinia svecica svecica), predicting that sperm length and sperm swimming speed i ...[more]

PMID: 29509773

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Project description:BackgroundSperm morphology mainly refers to the shape of the head, the length of the flagellar segments, including the midpiece, principal piece and end piece, and the size of the accessory structures, including axonemes, outer dense fibers (ODFs), mitochondrial sheath (MS) and fibrous sheath (FS). Across species, there is considerable diversity in morphology. An established theory posits that the length of the sperm flagellum, especially the length of the midpiece, is a critical factor influencing sperm metabolism and velocity. However, our understanding of the relationships between sperm ultrastructures and the sperm flagellar length is incomplete.MethodsThe morphologies of sperm from 10 mammalian species, human, mouse, rat, dog, rabbit, goat, pig, bull, guinea pig and golden hamster, were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). According to the SEM and TME images, the length of sperm heads and flagellar segments, the cross-sectional areas of the accessory structures and flagella and the width of sperm heads were measured using Image J software. The variation tendencies (referred to as slope) of the accessory structures along flagella were calculated by the linear regression method. Mitochondrial functions were measured using commercial kits. The velocities of sperm were measured using CASA software.ResultsThe three-dimensional morphologies of sperm from 10 species and the slopes of internal accessory structures along flagella were obtained. The width of the axoneme tapered slightly from the base to the tip of the sperm flagellum, and slopes of the axonemes correlated negatively with the variability in flagellar length across species. Additionally, the cross-sectional areas of the ODFs and/or the MS were positively correlated with the lengths of the midpiece, principal piece, and total flagellum, as well as with sperm velocities. Mitochondrial volumes were positively correlated with ATP content and sperm swimming velocities.ConclusionsOur results not only show the relationship between sperm internal structures, flagellar length and sperm physiology but also provide sizes of mitochondria and ODFs as new targets with which to study the regulation of sperm length and velocity.

Project description:Semen motility is the most widely recognized semen quality parameter used by Artificial Insemination (AI) centers. With the increasing worldwide export of semen between AI centers there is an increasing need for standardized motility assessment methods. Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) technology is thought to provide an objective motility evaluation; however, results can still vary between laboratories. The aim of present study was to verify the impact of different setting values of the CASA IVOS II on motility, concentration, and morphology of bovine semen samples frozen in an extender with or without egg yolk and then decide on optimal settings for a further validation step across AI centers. Semen straws from 30 different bulls were analyzed using IVOS II with twelve modified settings. No significant changes were observed in semen concentration, percentage of motile sperm or kinetic results for either extender type. However, increasing settings for both STR and VAP progressive (%) from Low, Medium, and High cut-off values significantly (p<0.05) reduced the percentage of detected progressive spermatozoa, in egg yolk extender from 49.5±15.2, 37.2±11.9 to 11.9±5.3%, and in clear extender from 51.9±9.1, 35.8±7.3 to 10.0±2.4%, respectively. In clear extender only, the modification of droplet proximal head length significantly affected the detection of normal sperm percentages (88.0± 4.7 to 95.0±0.6 and 96.0±0.6%) and of the percentage of detected proximal droplets (12.2±4.7, 2.5±2.7 to 0.6±0.2%) for Low, Medium and High values respectively (p<0.05). The identification of sensitivity within the CASA system to changes in set parameters then led to the determination of an optimal IVOS II setting. The existing variability among centers for these phenotypes was reduced when the standardized settings were applied across different CASA units. The results clearly show the importance of applied settings for the final CASA results and emphasize the need for standardized settings to obtain comparable data.

Dataset Information

Sperm morphology, sperm motility and paternity success in the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica).

Publications

Sperm morphology, sperm motility and paternity success in the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica).

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