A study of the transit amplification divisions during spermatogenesis in Oncopetus fasciatus to assess plasticity in sperm numbers or sperm viability under different diets.

ABSTRACT: Oncopeltus fasciatus males fed the ancestral diet of milkweed seeds prioritize reproduction over lifespan as evidenced by higher rates of fertility and shorter lifespans than males from the same population fed the adapted diet of sunflower seeds. We examined the proximate mechanisms by which milkweed-fed males maintained late-life fertility. We tested the hypothesis that older milkweed-fed males maintained fertility by producing more, higher quality sperm. Our results, that older males have more sperm, but their sperm do not have higher viability, are in general agreement with other recent studies on how nutrition affects male fertility in insects. We further examined the mechanisms by which sperm are produced by examining the progression of spermatogonial cells through the cell cyc

SUBMITTER: Duxbury AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6238124 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature