Sperm competition: strategy for getting your own off-spring
4 important questions on Sperm competition: strategy for getting your own off-spring
Sexual conflict in man and female?
- man: maximal quantitative introduction of your genes in off-spring
- as much as possible own off-spring
- competition with other males
- female: maximal quality of off-spring
- selection of male with superior qualities
When have a male faster sperm?
- sperm mid/piece produces ATP for motility
- is larger in species where females mate with multi males
What are the functions of seminal plasma? (8)
- stabilizes sperm for transport sperm up to the uterus
- may damage other sperm
- block of migration other sperm
- kills rivalling sperm
- plug does not allow remating
- plug keeps own sperm inside and protected
- semen can have crystals which leads to damage of the male after mating after another male
- seminal plasma influences females (induced ovulation in rabbits and cats)
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Does sperm war exist?
- Yes
- sperm war do exist -> genetic factors help sperm cells to outcompete their peers -> more RAC1 protein -> improves the competitiveness of individual sperm, whereas aberrant activity can cause male infertility.
- Not all sperm is equal -> competition among spermatozoa is extreme. cells with the T-haplotype are particularly tough against their competitors. But this is not always the case as microscopic images of sperm from genetically normal mice, as well as form animals with the t-haplotype (homozygous or heterozygous), show
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