Fifty years of sperm competition: the structure of a scientific revolution

Simmons, Leigh W.; Wedell, Nina

doi:10.1098/rstb.2020.0060

Cited by 28 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…The review attracted very little attention initially ( Figure 3 a), and few other publications on sperm competition appeared for almost 10 years [ 3 ]. In 1975, we published on sperm competition in locusts [ 50 ], but my research had mostly diverted to other projects.…”

Section: Sperm Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After that, many variants on these games (mainly differing in conditions faced by a male at the time of ejaculation) were analysed by myself and others, so that over the next 20 years a substantial theory base became established (reviewed in [ 64 , 65 ]). This stimulated empirical tests, and publications in sperm competition steadily increased over that period, levelling off around 2008 [ 3 ]. Citations of the 1970 review continued to increase up to around 2015, but now also seem to have levelled off ( Figure 3 a).…”

Section: Sperm Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A more detailed timeline of key developments in sperm competition and sperm selection is given by Simmons and Wedell [ 3 ], and I give a brief review of the current status of conceptual areas in sperm competition in the same theme issue [ 70 ].…”

Section: Sperm Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the request of the Editors of this Cells special issue, I attempt here to give a history of two early “seminal” papers (a pun that has been used several times). The first, “Sperm competition and its evolutionary consequences in the insects” [ 1 ], my 1970 Biological Reviews article, has been credited as the catalyst for the now large field of post-copulatory sexual selection [ 2 , 3 ], i.e., sexual selection that continues after ejaculation. The second, less cited paper on “The origin and evolution of gamete dimorphism and the male-female phenomenon” [ 4 ], with co-authors R. R. Baker and V. G. F. Smith, appeared in the Journal of Theoretical Biology in 1972, and has had a role in establishing a theoretical foundation for the evolution of the gametic cells and the two sexes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How Soon Hath Time… A History of Two “Seminal” Publications

Parker

2021

Cells

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This review documents the history of the two papers written half a century ago that relate to this special issue of Cells. The first, “Sperm competition and its evolutionary consequences in the insects” (Biological Reviews, 1970), stressed that sexual selection continues after ejaculation, resulting in many adaptations (e.g., postcopulatory guarding phases, copulatory plugs, seminal fluid components that modify female reproduction, and optimal ejaculation strategies), an aspect not considered by Darwin in his classic treatise of 1871. Sperm competition has subsequently been studied in many taxa, and post-copulatory sexual selection is now considered an important sequel to Darwinian pre-copulatory sexual selection. The second, “The origin and evolution of gamete dimorphism and the male-female phenomenon” (Journal of Theoretical Biology, 1972) showed how selection, based on gamete competition between individuals, can give rise to anisogamy in an isogamous broadcast spawning ancestor. This theory, which has subsequently been developed in various ways, is argued to form the most powerful explanation of why there are two sexes in most multicellular organisms. Together, the two papers have influenced our general understanding of the evolutionary differentiation of the two forms of gametic cells, and the divergence of sexual strategies between males and females under sexual selection.

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Section: Sperm Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sperm Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sperm Competitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

How Soon Hath Time… A History of Two “Seminal” Publications

Parker

2021

Cells

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“…Over the past 50 years, postcopulatory sexual selection-sperm competition and cryptic female choice-has become a significant area of research [1], which has many outstanding questions at every level of analysis, from proximate to ultimate [2]. Our understanding of postcopulatory mechanisms is notably sparse in taxa other than mammals, birds and insects.…”

Section: Sperm Competition In Squamatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm competition in squamate reptiles

Friesen

Kahrl

Olsson

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Multiple paternity is ubiquitous within the polyphyletic group called ‘reptiles', especially within the lizards and snakes. Therefore, the probability of sperm competition occurring, and being intense, is high. Squamates exhibit a diversity of tactics to ensure fertilization success in the face of sperm competition. The duration of female sperm storage, which can be many months and even years in some species, remains an enigma. Here, we emphasize some mechanisms that might affect patterns of paternity, the source and function of ejaculates and features of the female reproductive tract that may aid in long-term sperm storage. In doing so, we present a new analysis of the relationship between sperm size, the strength of sperm competition and the duration of female sperm storage. Lizards and snakes are a diverse group that has provided many excellent models for the study of an array of life-history strategies. However, when it comes to postcopulatory sexual selection, there is much left to discover. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition'.

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The impact of small groups on pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection in polyandrous populations

McDonald

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Sexual selection is a key evolutionary force but varies widely between populations. Two key factors that influence sexual selection are the extent to which females copulate with multiple males (polyandry) and variation in the social environment. Increasing research demonstrates populations are structured by complex socio‐sexual networks, and the structure of these networks can influence sexual selection by shaping the relationship between male precopulatory mating success and the intensity of postcopulatory competition. However, comparatively less attention has been dedicated to the influence of group structure on sexual selection and how differences in the size of groups may impact on the relative force of pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection in polyandrous populations. The presence of groups (i.e., group structure) and the size of groups varies widely in nature and forms an implicit part of much experimental sexual selection research under laboratory conditions. Here I use simulations of mating competition within populations that vary in the size of groups they contain, to show that variation in group size, and in particular small groups, can influence sexual selection. Specifically, I show that null expectations for the operation of pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection is governed by the size of groups within populations because smaller group sizes constrain the structure of sexual networks leading to reinforcing episodes of pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection. Given broad variation in group structure in nature and the tendency for experimental sexual selection research to study replicate small groups, these effects have implications for our understanding of the operation of sexual selection in polyandrous populations.

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Fifty years of sperm competition: the structure of a scientific revolution

Cited by 28 publications

References 85 publications

How Soon Hath Time… A History of Two “Seminal” Publications

How Soon Hath Time… A History of Two “Seminal” Publications

Sperm competition in squamate reptiles

The impact of small groups on pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection in polyandrous populations

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