Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2025
11:42
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Spermatozoa: Collection, Cryopreservation, and Heterologous In Vitro Fertilization
Published on: August 21, 2017
13.2K
Salinity and pH affect common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) sperm viability.
Jacquline Rich1, Jonathan R Cowart2, Gisele Montano3
1Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA.
Animal Reproduction Science
|May 4, 2025
Summary
Dolphin sperm function declines in high salinity and acidic conditions. Optimal ranges for salinity (8-15 ppt) and pH (7) support motility and viability, crucial for dolphin semen cryopreservation.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Reproductive Physiology
- Mammalian Reproduction
Background:
- The female reproductive tract imposes selective pressures on sperm.
- Understanding these pressures is key for aquatic mammals like dolphins.
- Environmental factors such as salinity and pH significantly influence sperm function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of varying salinity and pH on common bottlenose dolphin sperm.
- To identify optimal environmental conditions for dolphin sperm motility and viability.
- To inform semen processing for dolphin cryopreservation.
Main Methods:
- Semen from common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) was exposed to biologically relevant salinities (0-40 ppt) and pH levels (5-7.4).
- Computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) assessed sperm motility and kinematics.
- Plasma membrane, morphology, and acrosome integrity were evaluated post-exposure.
Main Results:
- Dolphin sperm motility and plasma membrane integrity decreased significantly at salinities ≥ 35 ppt.
- Sperm motility was optimal at pH 7, with viability declining below pH 6.5.
- Greater inter-individual variation in sperm motility and kinematics was observed at lower pH levels (< 7).
Conclusions:
- High salinity and acidic vaginal pH negatively impact dolphin sperm quality.
- Optimal conditions for dolphin sperm are estimated between 8-15 ppt salinity and pH 7.
- These findings can guide improved methods for dolphin semen cryopreservation and artificial insemination.
Related Concept Videos
01:41Spermatogenesis
101.7K
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...
101.7K
02:32Osmoregulation in Fishes
49.0K
When cells are placed in a hypotonic (low-salt) fluid, they can swell and burst. Meanwhile, cells in a hypertonic solution—with a higher salt concentration—can shrivel and die. How do fish cells avoid these gruesome fates in hypotonic freshwater or hypertonic seawater environments?
49.0K
01:11Testing a Claim about Mean: Known Population SD
2.7K
A complete procedure of testing the hypothesis about a population mean is explained here.
Estimating a population mean requires the samples to be distributed normally. The data should be collected from the randomly selected samples having no sampling bias. The sample size needed to be higher than 30, and most importantly, the population standard deviation should be already known.
In most realistic situations, the population standard deviation is often unknown, but in rare circumstances, when it...
Estimating a population mean requires the samples to be distributed normally. The data should be collected from the randomly selected samples having no sampling bias. The sample size needed to be higher than 30, and most importantly, the population standard deviation should be already known.
In most realistic situations, the population standard deviation is often unknown, but in rare circumstances, when it...
2.7K
00:53Extraction: Effects of pH
398
Consider a neutral form of an amine, B, with a partition coefficient, K, in a liquid mixture containing organic and aqueous phases. The pH of the aqueous phase affects the charge on acidic and basic solutes, and the charged form is usually more soluble in the aqueous phase. Suppose the conjugate acid form of the amine is soluble only in the aqueous phase while the base form is soluble in both phases. Then the distribution coefficient, D, can be given as the ratio of amine concentration in the...
398