Freezing ovarian fluid does not alter how it affects fish sperm swimming performance: creating a cryptic female choice ‘spice rack’ for use in split‐ejaculate experimentation

Purchase, Craig F.; Rooke, Anna C.

doi:10.1111/jfb.14263

Cited by 14 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…However, in some cases, these limitations can be overcome, for example, by freezing FRF (e.g. salmon [89]), and/or using small quantities (few µl) of FRF for the assays (e.g. zebrafish [30] or ants [26]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of female reproductive fluid in sperm competition

Gasparini

Pilastro

Evans

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The role of non-gametic components of the ejaculate (seminal fluid) in fertility and sperm competitiveness is now well established. Surprisingly, however, we know far less about female reproductive fluid (FRF) in the context of sexual selection, and insights into male–FRF interactions in the context of sperm competition have only recently emerged. Despite this limited knowledge, evidence from taxonomically diverse species has revealed insights into the effects of FRF on sperm traits that have previously been implicated in studies of sperm competition. Specifically, through the differential effects of FRF on a range of sperm traits, including chemoattraction and alterations in sperm velocity, FRF has been shown to exert positive phenotypic effects on the sperm of males that are preferred as mating partners, or those from the most compatible or genetically diverse males. Despite these tantalizing insights into the putative sexually selected functions of FRF, we largely lack a mechanistic understanding of these processes. Taken together, the evidence presented here highlights the likely ubiquity of FRF-regulated biases in fertilization success across a diverse range of taxa, thus potentially elevating the importance of FRF to other non-gametic components that have so far been studied largely in males. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition'.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of female reproductive fluid in sperm competition

Gasparini

Pilastro

Evans

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…The FRF solution was centrifuged at 16,100× g for 2 min, and the pellet was discarded to remove debris. FRF was then placed in a test tube and stored at −80 °C until used [ 24 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm Accumulation Induced by the Female Reproductive Fluid: Putative Evidence of Chemoattraction Using a New Tool

Devigili

Cattelan

Gasparini

2021

Cells

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There is considerable evidence that female reproductive fluid (FRF) interacts intimately with sperm, affecting several sperm traits, including sperm motility and longevity, and ultimately fertilization success. One of the first documented interactions between FRF and sperm is the ability of FRF to attract and guide sperm towards the eggs. However, most of the evidence of FRF’s chemoattraction proprieties comes from a limited number of taxa, specifically mammals and invertebrate broadcasting spawners. In other species, small FRF volumes and/or short sperm longevity often impose methodological difficulties resulting in this gap in chemoattraction studies in non-model species. One of the outcomes of sperm chemotaxis is sperm accumulation towards high chemoattractant concentrations, which can be easily quantified by measuring sperm concentration. Here, we tested sperm accumulation towards FRF in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, using an ad hoc developed, 3D printed, device (‘sperm selection chamber’). This easy-to-use tool allows to select and collect the sperm that swim towards a chemical gradient, and accumulate in a chemoattractant-filled well thus providing putative evidence for chemoattraction. We found that sperm accumulate in FRF in zebrafish. We also found that none of the sperm quality traits we measured (sperm swimming velocity and trajectory, sperm motility, and longevity) were correlated with this response. Together with the 3D printable project, we provide a detailed protocol for using the selection chamber. The chamber is optimized for the zebrafish, but it can be easily adapted for other species. Our device lays the foundation for a standardized way to measure sperm accumulation and in general chemoattraction, stimulating future research aimed at understanding the role and the mechanisms of sperm chemoattraction by FRF.

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“…Eggs were extruded from one female each day and later separated from ovarian fluid through a fine meshed net [67], which was used in sperm swimming performance trials [68], to avoid neutral sperm swimming environments when post-ejaculatory sexual selection occurs [29].…”

Section: (B) Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Details (Supplemental Methods) closely followed Purchase & Rooke [67]. Four technical replicates of sperm activation were obtained for each fish.…”

Section: (C) Sperm Swimming Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

A synthesis of senescence predictions for indeterminate growth, and support from multiple tests in wild lake trout

Purchase

Rooke

Gaudry

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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Senescence, or the deterioration of functionality with age, varies widely across taxa in pattern and rate. Insights into why and how this variation occurs are hindered by the predominance of lab-focused research on short-lived model species with determinate growth. We synthesize evolutionary theories of senescence, highlight key information gaps, and clarify predictions for species with low mortality and variable degrees of indeterminate growth. Lake trout are an ideal species to evaluate predictions in the wild. We monitored individual males from two populations (1976-2017) longitudinally for changes in adult mortality (actuarial senescence) and body condition (proxy for energy balance). A cross-sectional approach (2017) compared young (ages 4-10 years) and old (18-37 years) adults for (1) phenotypic performance in body condition, and semen quality - which is related to fertility under sperm competition (reproductive senescence), and (2) relative telomere length (potential proxy for cellular senescence). Adult growth in these particular populations is constrained by a simplified food web, and our data support predictions of negligible senescence when maximum size is only slightly larger than maturation size. Negative senescence (aka reverse senescence) may occur in other lake trout populations where diet shifts allow maximum sizes to be much larger than maturation size.

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Freezing ovarian fluid does not alter how it affects fish sperm swimming performance: creating a cryptic female choice ‘spice rack’ for use in split‐ejaculate experimentation

Cited by 14 publications

References 37 publications

The role of female reproductive fluid in sperm competition

The role of female reproductive fluid in sperm competition

Sperm Accumulation Induced by the Female Reproductive Fluid: Putative Evidence of Chemoattraction Using a New Tool

A synthesis of senescence predictions for indeterminate growth, and support from multiple tests in wild lake trout

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