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Fine-scale genital morphology affects male ejaculation success: an experimental test

Chung, Meng-Han; Fox, Rebecca; Jennions, MIchael D

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The evolution of male genital traits is usually ascribed to advantages that arise when there is sperm competition, cryptic female choice or sexual conflict. However, when male–female contact is brief and sperm production is costly, genital structures that ensure the appropriate timing of sperm release should also be under intense selection. Few studies have examined the role of individual structures in triggering ejaculation. We therefore conducted a series of anatomical manipulations of...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorChung, Meng-Han
dc.contributor.authorFox, Rebecca
dc.contributor.authorJennions, MIchael D
dc.date.accessioned2021-03-16T03:55:56Z
dc.identifier.issn1744-9561
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/227210
dc.description.abstractThe evolution of male genital traits is usually ascribed to advantages that arise when there is sperm competition, cryptic female choice or sexual conflict. However, when male–female contact is brief and sperm production is costly, genital structures that ensure the appropriate timing of sperm release should also be under intense selection. Few studies have examined the role of individual structures in triggering ejaculation. We therefore conducted a series of anatomical manipulations of fine-scale features of the complex intromittent organ (gonopodium) of a freshwater fish with internal fertilization (Gambusia holbrooki) to determine their effects on sperm release. Mating in G. holbrooki is fleeting (less than 50 ms), so there should be strong selection for control over the timing of sperm release. We surgically removed three features at the tip of the gonopodium (claws, spines, awl-shape) to test for their potential role in triggering ejaculation. We show that the ‘awl-shape' of the tip affects sperm release when a male makes contact with a female, but neither gonopodial claws nor spines had a detectable effect. We suggest that the claws and spines may instead function to increase the precision of sperm deposition (facilitating anchorage and contact time with the female's gonopore), rather than the initiation of ejaculation.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen_AU
dc.publisherRoyal Society of London
dc.rights© 2020 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved
dc.sourceBiology Letters
dc.source.urihttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0251
dc.subjectPoeciliidae
dc.subjectgenital morphology
dc.subjectgonopodium
dc.subjectsexual selection
dc.titleFine-scale genital morphology affects male ejaculation success: an experimental test
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume16
dc.date.issued2020
local.identifier.absfor060303 - Biological Adaptation
local.identifier.ariespublicationu9511635xPUB2069
local.publisher.urlhttps://royalsocietypublishing.org
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationChung, Meng-Han, College of Science, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationFox, Rebecca, College of Science, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationJennions, Michael, College of Science, ANU
local.description.embargo2099-12-31
local.bibliographicCitation.issue6
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage1
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage5
local.identifier.doi10.1098/rsbl.2020.0251
local.identifier.absseo970106 - Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
dc.date.updated2021-08-01T08:43:51Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-85087005658
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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