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12 April 2019 Small, Variable Sperm in a Barn Swallow Population with Low Extra-Pair Paternity
Masaru Hasegawa, Emi Arai, Masahiko Nakamura
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Abstract

Sperm competition can theoretically affect sperm morphology; however, it remains unclear whether and how sperm morphology tracks the intensity of sperm competition in each population. The barn swallow Hirundo rustica is a model species used in the study of sexual selection, and exhibits considerable variation in extra-pair paternity (percentage extra-pair young, ca. 3–30%) among populations. In the Joetsu population of the barn swallow, extra-pair paternity is virtually absent (< 3%), providing a rare opportunity to study sperm morphology under limited sperm competition, and to compare it with those reported in populations with frequent extra-pair paternity (>15%). We found that head, midpiece, and total sperm length were significantly shorter in the Joetsu population than in populations with frequent extra-pair paternity. Moreover, the variability in total sperm length, measured as the coefficient of variation in the Joetsu population, was twice as high as that of populations with frequent extra-pair paternity. These results are consistent with a positive, directional, and stabilizing effect of sperm competition on sperm morphology. Together with previous studies in populations with frequent extra-pair paternity, the current study provides one of few sets of evidence to show a link between the intensity of sperm competition and the mean and variance of sperm morphology within a wild bird species.

© 2019 Zoological Society of Japan
Masaru Hasegawa, Emi Arai, and Masahiko Nakamura "Small, Variable Sperm in a Barn Swallow Population with Low Extra-Pair Paternity," Zoological Science 36(2), 154-158, (12 April 2019). https://doi.org/10.2108/zs180039
Received: 24 February 2018; Accepted: 22 November 2018; Published: 12 April 2019
KEYWORDS
extra-pair paternity
Hirundo rustica
Post-mating sexual selection
sperm morphometry
spermatozoa
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