Interspecific diversity of testes mass and sperm morphology in the Philippine chrotomyine rodents: implications for differences in breeding systems across the species
| Autor: | Lawrence R. Heaney, William G. Breed, Macarena B. Gonzalez, Hanna J. McLennan, Chris Leigh, Hazirah Hassan |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Male
endocrine system Philippines Zoology Rodentia Reproductive technology Biology 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Endocrinology Species Specificity Testis Genetics Animals Cell Shape Molecular Biology Sperm competition 030304 developmental biology Apomys 0303 health sciences 030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine urogenital system Reproduction Interspecific competition Mating Preference Animal Mating system biology.organism_classification Spermatozoa Sperm Reproductive Medicine Sister group Sexual selection Animal Science and Zoology Developmental Biology Biotechnology |
| Zdroj: | Reproduction, Fertility and Development. 31:705 |
| ISSN: | 1031-3613 |
| DOI: | 10.1071/rd18278 |
| Popis: | The high diversity of native Philippine murid rodents includes an old endemic group, the chrotomyines, which are the sister group of the Australasian hydromyines. Herein we detail their interspecific diversity of relative testes mass (RTM) and sperm morphology. We find that in chrotomyines, as in the Australasian hydromyines, testes mass relative to body mass differs by an order of magnitude across the species and ranges from a large RTM in Soricomys and Chrotomys species to a small RTM in Apomys. Sperm morphology is associated with these findings, with individuals in species of Soricomys and Chrotomys producing relatively larger spermatozoa with a prominent apical hook and long tail, whereas, by contrast, the Apomys species have a sperm head that either has a very short or no apical hook and a shorter tail. These findings indicate coevolution of RTM with sperm morphological traits across the species, with the marked interspecific differences in RTM suggesting differences in the intensity of intermale sperm competition and hence breeding system. Thus, we hypothesise that species of Soricomys and Chrotomys that produce more streamlined spermatozoa with longer tails have a polyandrous or promiscuous mating system, whereas the Apomys species, which produce smaller and less streamlined spermatozoa, may exhibit monogamy. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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