Sperm Morphology Assessment in Captive Neotropical Primates

Swanson, W. F.; Valle, Rodrigo del Rio do; Carvalho, Flávio; Arakaki, PR; Rodas‐Martínez, Alba Z.; Muniz, J. A. P. C.; García-Herreros, Manuel

doi:10.1111/rda.12711

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Values of sperm head width were similar for A. belzebuth and A. geoffroyi , but higher for A. chamek and A. paniscus (Table 2). Our results for sperm from Cebus cay , C. nigritus and A. caraya are in agreement with those of previous studies applying similar staining techniques ([11,21]; Table IV in [20]).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Despite the small number of specimens studied here, some sperm head measurements are similar to other previously described for Ateles . Compared with measurements reported in the literature, our results were as follows: values of sperm head length were higher for A. belzebuth, A. paniscus and A. chamek and lower for A. geoffroyi [21]. Values of sperm head width were similar for A. belzebuth and A. geoffroyi , but higher for A. chamek and A. paniscus (Table 2).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…For each individual, the following morphometric variables (in μm) were measured on 100 photographed spermatozoa with normal morphology: Head Length (HL), Head Width (HW), Acrosome Length (AL), Midpiece Length (ML), Midpiece Width (MW) and Tail Length (TL). In addition, the following traits were calculated for each spermatozoon: Total Length = HL + TL; Midpiece Volume (MV) = π * (MW/2) 2 * ML) [11]; Head Ellipticity = HL/HW; Head Elongation = (HL − HW)/(HL + HW) [19,21].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We created a database from the available literature (Table 2) on sperm morphometry of neotropical primates [2,9,11,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24], where only the first reference was considered and duplicate entries were removed (e.g., data for Saimiri sciureus were first reported by Martin et al [17] and repeated in [2,9]; then, the latter two were excluded from the analysis). If the number of specimens was missing (such as in [2,11,17]) the record was assumed to belong to a single individual.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Primates, however, there is little information on sperm morphometry from an evolutionary point of view. In particular, this subject has been poorly studied in neotropical primates (new world primates or Platyrrhini), with only a few species studied to this date [2,9,11,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sperm Morphology in Neotropical Primates

Steinberg

Sestelo²,

Ceballos³

et al. 2019

Animals

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Simple SummaryThe spermatozoon is a highly differentiated cell, whose morphology has been affected throughout evolution by selective forces such as the competition between the sperm of rival males (sperm competition) and the joint evolution of male and female reproductive tracts (coevolution). The study of its morphology is important when analyzing the relationships between different species. In this contribution we analyzed new specimens and produced a database with all the spermatozoa dimensions recorded to date, comprising 75 individuals from 20 species and 8 genera, representing 2 families of neotropical primates (Cebidae and Atelidae). After an evolutionary analysis, we observed two different trends for the Cebidae and Atelidae families. Narrower and shorter spermatozoa seem to be the ancestral (oldest) form for Cebidae, with an evolutionary trend toward spermatozoa with wider and larger heads in the derived (younger) species. In Atelidae, on the contrary, narrower heads are observed in the more derived groups. We analyzed these results in the context of sperm competition and mating systems in these groups. More studies are needed to improve our knowledge of the evolution of the spermatozoa in neotropical primates.AbstractThe morphological and morphometric characterization of spermatozoa has been used as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool for different species of mammals. We evaluated and compared the sperm morphometry of five neotropical primate species: Alouatta caraya, Ateles belzebuth and Ateles chamek of family Atelidae; and Cebus cay (=Sapajus cay) and Cebus nigritus (=Sapajus nigritus) of family Cebidae. After the collection of semen samples, the following parameters were measured on 100 spermatozoa from each specimen: Head Length, Head Width, Acrosome Length, Midpiece Length, Midpiece Width and Tail Length. Considering the available literature on sperm morphometry, we gathered data of 75 individuals, from 20 species, 8 genera and 2 families. These data were superimposed on a phylogeny to infer the possible direction of evolutionary changes. Narrower and shorter spermatozoa seem to be the ancestral form for Cebidae, with a trend toward wider and larger heads in derived groups. The spermatozoa of Atelidae may show an increase in total length and midpiece length. Sperm heads would have become narrower in the more derived groups of Ateles. Sperm length may increase in the more derived species in both families. Our results are discussed in the context of sperm competition and sexual selection.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sperm Morphology in Neotropical Primates

Steinberg

Sestelo²,

Ceballos³

et al. 2019

Animals

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Differences in sperm morphology between Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra are consistent with the intensity of sperm competition in each species

Hirst

Rodas‐Martínez

Milich

et al. 2023

American J Primatol

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The intensity of sperm competition, in which sperm compete within the female reproductive tract to reach and fertilize her eggs, varies in species with different mating systems. Sperm competition is more intense in species where males cannot monopolize access to reproductive females and females mate with multiple males. In this scenario, a morphological change that increases the ability of sperm to reach and fertilize eggs should rapidly spread in the population, leading to sperm morphological differences between closely related species. Differences in sperm morphology have been reported among primate species with different mating systems. However, due to the inherent logistical and ethical difficulties to sample sperm from wild primates, the extent of variation in sperm morphology within species and among closely related species remains understudied. Here, we compared sperm morphological traits from two sister howler monkey species (Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra) that have different mating systems to investigate the effect of sperm competition on sperm morphological traits. We predicted that sperm from A. palliata, where females have more opportunities to mate with multiple males, would show differences in traits associated with increase sperm competitiveness compared to A. pigra where females mostly mate with the central male. We used linear mixed models to determine species differences in sperm morphology, controlling for individual variation. We found that midpieces and heads in A. palliata sperm were on average 26.2% and 11.0% longer, respectively, than those of A. pigra. Differences in these traits are important for sperm speed and hydrodynamic movement in other species and can affect fertilization success. This study provides empirical evidence of sperm morphological traits that evolved through sexual selection in sister primate species with different mating systems.

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