Social dominance, but not parasite load, affects sperm quality and sperm redox status in house sparrows.
J Exp Biol
; 222(Pt 17)2019 09 10.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31439651
ABSTRACT
Sperm performance is an important component of male reproductive success. However, sperm production is costly and males need to optimize their investment in sperm quality versus the somatic traits involved in mating success, e.g. their social status. As oxidative stress affects both sperm performance and somatic functions, it has been hypothesized to mediate such a trade-off. According to the oxidation-based soma/germline trade-off hypothesis, dominant males should favour the antioxidant protection of their somatic tissues, and subordinate males should favour the antioxidant protection of their sperm. We tested this hypothesis by experimentally infecting wild-caught house sparrows Passer domesticus with Coccidia Isopora sp., an internal parasite known to deplete antioxidant resources. We predicted that (i) increased parasite load affects sperm oxidative status and sperm performance and that (ii) males with experimentally high parasite load adjust the antioxidant protection of their soma versus their sperm according to their social status. Despite a 5400% increase in parasite load, sperm performance and somatic and spermatic oxidative status remained unaffected, irrespective of male social status. Nevertheless, males increased their sperm performance over time, a pattern mirrored by an increase in the antioxidant protection of their sperm. Moreover, males at the lower end of the hierarchy always produced sperm of lower velocity, suggesting that they were constrained and privileged their soma over their germline. To conclude, high parasite loads do not necessarily affect sperm performance and oxidative status. In contrast, social hierarchy and the relative investment in soma versus sperm antioxidant protection are determinants of sperm performance.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Predominio Social
/
Espermatozoides
/
Enfermedades de las Aves
/
Coccidiosis
/
Estrés Oxidativo
/
Análisis de Semen
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Exp Biol
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Suiza