Male capacity as related to sperm production, pregnancy initiation, and sperm competition in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)

Dewsbury, Donald A.; Sawrey, D. Kim

doi:10.1007/bf00293102

Cited by 38 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Although sperm are vastly smaller and the cost of testicular growth is negligible, numerous studies now indicate that ejaculate cost in terms of some behavioral and physiological measures is significant (Dewsbury, 1982). Sperm production is generally limited in terms of: reduced numbers of sperm in successive ejaculates (Dewsbury and Sawrey, 1984), often for periods of up to a week, and limitations of other hormonal substances critical to successful mating; in humans, when weight loss is in the range of 25% normal body weight, sperm production ceases (Frisch, 1984). Furthermore, repetitive copulation for pregnancy initiation, female choice and control, and risks of searching for a mate all entail presumed energetic costs and limit male reproductive capacity (see Dewsbury, 1982).…”

Section: Matingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Allocation in Mammalian Reproduction

Gittleman

Thompson

1988

Am Zool

739

523

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SYNOPSIS. On behavioral, hormonal, and physiological grounds, mammalian reproduction can be compartmentalized into the following continuous sequence of events: mating (courtship, estrous), gestation, parturition, lactation, post-lactational parental care, and maternal recovery. We point out that comparing the relative allocation of energy for these events across mammals is difficult because of life history variability (e.g., litter size, birth weight), allometry, phylogeny, and individual variation. We review the empirical and theoretical literature on each of these events with respect to: different methodologies in measuring energy use; broad patterns of energy consumption across diverse mammalian taxa; and, identification of particular reproductive characteristics {e.g., birthing, parental care) which may be costly but have yet to receive energetic measurements. Although most studies have considered gestation and lactation the critical reproductive events for energy expenditure, variation in these events is substantial and almost certainly is a function of relative allocation of time to gestation vs. lactation as well as the presumed energetic costs of mating, birthing and parental care. In addition, repeated observations show that behavioral compensation is an extremely important strategy for minimizing energy requirements during reproduction. From this review, we argue that more complete analyses will come from (1) incorporating energetic measurements in studies of mammalian behavior and (2) including mechanisms of behavioral compensation into physiological studies.

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Section: Matingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Allocation in Mammalian Reproduction

Gittleman

Thompson

1988

Am Zool

739

523

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although there are appreciable decrements in sperm counts with successive ejaculations, Dewsbury and Sawrey (1984) found no detectable effects on fertility with respect to either pregnancy initiation or sperm competition. The latter study was designed to assess the effectiveness of successive individual ejaculates ; females thus received only one or two ejaculates from each male.…”

mentioning

confidence: 57%

“…This is in spite of the fact that sperm countsdecreaseover successive seriesso thatthe sixthejaculation contains only approximately one-quarter as many sperm as the first (Dewsbury & Sawrey, 1984). A lackof decrements in potency over successive ejaculations has also beenfound in other species (e.g., Adams & Singh, 1981 ;Allison, 1978;Markow, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Althoughexact mating patternsin the field are not known, it is likely that limitations on male capacity are sometimesfunctional (see Dewsbury& Sawrey, 1984). Females inthe fieldare sometimes multiply mated (Birdsall & Nash, 1973); there is extensvie home-range overlap of opposite-sexed animals (Metzgar, 1979); dominant males achieved a disproportionate numberof copulations (Dewsbury, 1981); and females appearto synchronize estrouscycles (Bronson & Marsden, 1964).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although males of various species effectively cease copulating after a certain number of ejaculations and require some time to recover to baseline performance levels, the temporal parameters of these recovery processes vary greatly across species and strains (see Dewsbury & Sawrey , 1984). There are species differences in withinepisode patterns as well.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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