Sperm competition accentuates selection on ejaculate attributes.
Biol Lett
; 15(3): 20180889, 2019 03 29.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30890070
ABSTRACT
Ejaculate attributes are important factors driving the probability of fertilizing eggs. When females mate with several males, competition between sperm to fertilize eggs should accentuate selection on ejaculate attributes. We tested this hypothesis in the North African houbara bustard ( Chlamydotis undulata undulata) by comparing the strength of selection acting on two ejaculate attributes when sperm from single males or sperm from different males were used for insemination. In agreement with the prediction, we found that selection on ejaculate attributes was stronger when sperm of different males competed for egg fertilization. These findings provide the first direct comparison of the strength of selection acting on ejaculate attributes under competitive and non-competitive fertilizations, confirming that sperm competition is a major selective force driving the evolution of ejaculate characteristics.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Espermatozoides
/
Fertilização
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biol Lett
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article