NDLI: Mass-Specific Metabolic Rate and Sperm Competition Determine Sperm Size in Marsupial Mammals

Content Provider	PubMed Central
Author	Tourmente, Maximiliano Gomendio, Montserrat Roldan, Eduardo R. S.
Editor	Waterman, Jane M.
Copyright Year	2011
Abstract	Two complementary hypotheses have been proposed to explain variation in sperm size. The first proposes that post-copulatory sexual selection favors an increase in sperm size because it enhances sperm swimming speed, which is an important determinant of fertilization success in competitive contexts. The second hypothesis proposes that mass-specific metabolic rate acts as a constraint, because large animals with low mass-specific metabolic rates will not be able to process resources at the rates needed to produce large sperm. This constraint is expected to be particularly pronounced among mammals, given that this group contains some of the largest species on Earth. We tested these hypotheses among marsupials, a group in which mass-specific metabolic rates are roughly 30% lower than those of eutherian mammals of similar size, leading to the expectation that metabolic rate should be a major constraint. Our findings support both hypotheses because levels of sperm competition are associated with increases in sperm size, but low mass-specific metabolic rate constrains sperm size among large species. We also found that the relationship between sperm size and mass-specific metabolic rate is steeper among marsupials and shallower among eutherian mammals. This finding has two implications: marsupials respond to changes in mass-specific metabolic rate by modifying sperm length to a greater extent, suggesting that they are more constrained by metabolic rate. In addition, for any given mass-specific metabolic rate, marsupials produce longer sperm. We suggest that this is the consequence of marsupials diverting resources away from sperm numbers and into sperm size, due to their efficient sperm transport along the female tract and the existence of mechanisms to protect sperm.
Related Links	http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021244
Starting Page	21244
File Format	PDF
ISSN	19326203
e-ISSN	19326203
Journal	PLoS ONE
Issue Number	6
Volume Number	6
Language	English
Publisher	Public Library of Science
Publisher Date	2011-06-01
Access Restriction	Open
Rights Holder	Public Library of Science
Subject Keyword	Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all) Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all) Medicine(all) Research in Higher Education
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Multidisciplinary

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Mass-Specific Metabolic Rate Influences Sperm Performance through Energy Production in Mammals

Metabolic Rate Limits the Effect of Sperm Competition on Mammalian Spermatogenesis

Relative testis size and sperm morphometry across mammals: no evidence for an association between sperm competition and sperm length.

Why mammalian lineages respond differently to sexual selection: metabolic rate constrains the evolution of sperm size

Effects of metabolic level on the body size scaling of metabolic rate in birds and mammals

Sperm competition and sperm midpiece size: no consistent pattern in passerine birds

Tactic-specific success in sperm competition.

Sperm competition games: optimal sperm allocation in response to the size of competing ejaculates

Sperm Competition Selects for Sperm Quantity and Quality in the Australian Maluridae

Mass-Specific Metabolic Rate and Sperm Competition Determine Sperm Size in Marsupial Mammals

Similar Documents

Mass-Specific Metabolic Rate Influences Sperm Performance through Energy Production in Mammals

Metabolic Rate Limits the Effect of Sperm Competition on Mammalian Spermatogenesis

Relative testis size and sperm morphometry across mammals: no evidence for an association between sperm competition and sperm length.

Why mammalian lineages respond differently to sexual selection: metabolic rate constrains the evolution of sperm size

Effects of metabolic level on the body size scaling of metabolic rate in birds and mammals

Sperm competition and sperm midpiece size: no consistent pattern in passerine birds

Tactic-specific success in sperm competition.

Sperm competition games: optimal sperm allocation in response to the size of competing ejaculates

Sperm Competition Selects for Sperm Quantity and Quality in the Australian Maluridae

Mass-Specific Metabolic Rate and Sperm Competition Determine Sperm Size in Marsupial Mammals