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Effects of ovarian fluid on sperm velocity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

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Abstract

Numbers of studies in externally fertilizing fish species provide evidence for an effect of ovarian fluid on sperm motility characteristics such as duration of forward mobility, velocity or percent motile sperm cells. Yet, because of variations among females in the quality of their ovarian fluid, such effects might differ between individuals. Additionally, ovarian fluid from different females could also be expected to affect each ejaculate differently, resulting in cryptic female choice. In this study on Artic charr (Salvelnius alpinus), sperm velocity from several males was measured in the diluted ovarian fluid of several females according to a fully balanced crossing design. This design allowed us to estimate variations among females in the effect of their ovarian fluid on the velocity of sperm from different males, and to detect variations among males in the ability of their sperm to swim in ovarian fluid. Sperm velocity was estimated by computer-assisted sperm analysis. Average velocity was found to vary among females, with some females having constantly higher velocity measurements in their ovarian fluid, and among males, indicating that some males had overall faster sperm in ovarian fluid than others. Moreover, variation in sperm velocity was shown to depend on individual female-male interactions. Our results document that females vary in the effect of their ovarian fluid on sperm velocity and that their ovarian fluid may stimulate sperm velocity according to individual characteristics of males. This latter result suggests a potential mechanism for cryptic female choice.

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Notes

  1. Throughout the literature cited in this study, the terms sperm motility (characteristics) or sperm movement encompass several components of sperm motion such as duration or longevity (i.e. mobility period), percent motile sperm cells and sperm trajectory. Yet the present study focuses only on sperm velocity, i.e. sperm swimming speed.

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Acknowledgements

We would very much like to thank Nigel Yoccoz for his help with the statistics, and we are grateful to Bob Montgomerie, Ståle Liljedal, Frode Skarstein, Kai Lindström and several anonymous referees for very helpful comments on the manuscript. Ståle Liljedal and Andreas Palmen also put in long hours during fieldwork. The experiment complies with the current Norwegian laws. D.U. is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

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  1. Davnah Urbach

    Present address: Zoological Institute, Division of Conservation Biology, University of Bern, 3012 , Bern, Switzerland

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  1. Department of Evolution and Ecology, Institute of Biology, University of Tromsø, 9037 , Tromsø, Norway

    Davnah Urbach, Ivar Folstad & Geir Rudolfsen

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  1. Davnah Urbach
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Correspondence to Davnah Urbach.

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Communicated by K. Lindström

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Urbach, D., Folstad, I. & Rudolfsen, G. Effects of ovarian fluid on sperm velocity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 57, 438–444 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0876-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0876-4

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