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Background and Environment Affect Phenotype02:27

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Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
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Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
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Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
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Spermatogenesis is the process by which haploid sperm cells are produced in the male testes. It starts with stem cells located close to the outer rim of seminiferous tubules. These spermatogonial stem cells divide asymmetrically to give rise to additional stem cells (meaning that these structures “self-renew”), as well as sperm progenitors, called spermatocytes. Importantly, this method of asymmetric mitotic division maintains a population of spermatogonial stem cells in the male...
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During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...
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Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
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Egg-induced changes to sperm phenotypes shape patterns of multivariate selection on ejaculates.

Jessica H Hadlow1, Jonathan P Evans1, Rowan A Lymbery1

  • 1Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.

Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|March 4, 2020
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Summary

Female egg chemicals significantly alter sperm selection patterns. Understanding these female-influenced sperm trait changes is crucial for accurate evolutionary interpretations.

Keywords:
cryptic female choiceejaculate evolutionfertilizationsexual selectionsperm chemotaxissperm phenotypes

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Reproductive biology
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Sperm cells display diverse traits and rapid evolution, but the adaptive significance of many sperm characteristics is unclear.
  • Female physiological conditions can modify sperm phenotypes, impacting trait relationships and fitness associations.
  • Egg-derived chemicals are known to influence sperm physiology and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how egg-derived chemicals affect selection patterns on sperm traits.
  • To analyze linear and nonlinear selection on sperm traits under different environmental conditions.
  • To understand the role of female-imposed conditions in shaping sperm evolution in Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Main Methods:

  • Multivariate selection analyses were employed to assess selection pressures.
  • Sperm traits were measured in two conditions: standard seawater and seawater containing egg-derived chemicals (egg water).
  • Linear and nonlinear selection gradients were characterized for various sperm traits.

Main Results:

  • Nonlinear selection was the dominant form of selection acting on multiple sperm traits, including velocity, linearity, and motility.
  • These significant nonlinear selection patterns were primarily observed only when sperm were measured in the presence of egg water.
  • Egg-derived chemicals altered the patterns of selection on sperm traits compared to standard seawater.

Conclusions:

  • Females can subtly modify selection patterns on sperm traits through egg-derived chemicals.
  • Ignoring environmentally moderated changes in sperm phenotypes can lead to misinterpretations of selection and phenotypic covariation.
  • This highlights the importance of considering female influence in studies of sexual selection and sperm evolution.