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Sperm production is negatively associated with muscle and sperm telomere length in a species subjected to strong sperm competition.
Morbiato, Elisa; Cattelan, Silvia; Pilastro, Andrea; Grapputo, Alessandro.
Affiliation
  • Morbiato E; Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
  • Cattelan S; Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
  • Pilastro A; Fritz Lipmann Institute - Leibniz Institute on Aging, Jena, Germany.
  • Grapputo A; Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Mol Ecol ; 32(21): 5812-5822, 2023 Nov.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37792396
Life-history theory suggests that ageing is one of the costs of reproduction. Accordingly, a higher reproductive allocation is expected to increase the deterioration of both the somatic and the germinal lines through enhanced telomere attrition. In most species, males' reproductive allocation mainly regards traits that increase mating and fertilization success, that is sexually selected traits. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a higher investment in sexually selected traits is associated with a reduced relative telomere length (RTL) in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), an ectotherm species characterized by strong pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. We first measured telomere length in both the soma and the sperm over guppies' lifespan to see whether there was any variation in telomere length associated with age. Second, we investigated whether a greater investment in pre- and postcopulatory sexually selected traits is linked to shorter telomere length in both the somatic and the sperm germinal lines, and in young and old males. We found that telomeres lengthened with age in the somatic tissue, but there was no age-dependent variation in telomere length in the sperm cells. Telomere length in guppies was significantly and negatively correlated with sperm production in both tissues and life stages considered in this study. Our findings indicate that telomere length in male guppies is strongly associated with their reproductive investment (sperm production), suggesting that a trade-off between reproduction and maintenance is occurring at each stage of males' life in this species.
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Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Semen / Poecilia Type of study: Risk_factors_studies Limits: Animals Language: En Journal: Mol Ecol Journal subject: BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR / SAUDE AMBIENTAL Year: 2023 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Italy Country of publication: United kingdom

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Semen / Poecilia Type of study: Risk_factors_studies Limits: Animals Language: En Journal: Mol Ecol Journal subject: BIOLOGIA MOLECULAR / SAUDE AMBIENTAL Year: 2023 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Italy Country of publication: United kingdom