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Updated: Dec 5, 2025
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Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus
Published on: December 25, 2016
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Revealing mechanisms of mating plug function under sexual selection
Paula Stockley1, Catarina Franco2, Amy J Claydon2
1Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, CH64 7TE Neston, United Kingdom; p.stockley@liv.ac.uk.
Summary
Mating plugs in rodents limit rival sperm during competitive mating, promoting fertilization success. Stable isotope labeling revealed how these plugs influence sperm competition and reproductive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Evolutionary Biology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Mating plugs are common in sexually reproducing animals.
- They are hypothesized to increase male fertilization success in competitive mating scenarios.
- Previous research was limited by the inability to distinguish ejaculates from competing males.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of mating plugs in male fertilization success under promiscuous mating conditions in the rodent Myodes glareolus.
- To overcome previous limitations in discriminating ejaculates during direct male-male competition.
Main Methods:
- Utilized stable isotope labeling in vivo to differentiate ejaculates from multiple males.
- Employed proteomics to analyze mating plug composition and identify key proteins.
- Observed mating plug retention and its effect on rival sperm presence.
Main Results:
- Mating plugs, even when retained, significantly reduced the number of rival sperm entering the female reproductive tract.
- Variation in mating plug size and accessory gland protein content correlated with the number of a male's sperm progressing.
- The relative number of sperm successfully progressing predicted fertilization success between rival males.
Conclusions:
- Stable isotope labeling provides a novel method to study cryptic postcopulatory sexual selection.
- Rodent mating plugs play a crucial role in modulating sperm competition and enhancing male fertilization success.
- This approach can be applied to diverse taxa to uncover hidden mechanisms of sexual selection.
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