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Ranking parameters driving siring success during sperm competition in the North African houbara bustard.

ABSTRACT: Sperm competition is a powerful force driving the evolution of ejaculate and sperm traits. However, the outcome of sperm competition depends on many traits that extend beyond ejaculate quality. Here, we study male North African houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) competing for egg fertilization, after artificial insemination, with the aim to rank the importance of 14 parameters as drivers of siring success. Using a machine learning approach, we show that traits independent of male quality (i.e., insemination order, delay between insemination and egg laying) are the most important predictors of siring success. Traits describing intrinsic male quality (i.e., number of sperm in the ejaculate, mass motility index) are also positively associated with siring success, but their contribution to explaining the outcome of sperm competition is much lower than for insemination order. Overall, this analysis shows that males mating at the last position in the mating sequence have the best chance to win the competition for egg fertilization. This raises the question of the importance of female behavior as determinant of mating order.

SUBMITTER: Sorci G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10033649 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ranking parameters driving siring success during sperm competition in the North African houbara bustard.

Sorci Gabriele G Hussein Hiba Abi HA Levêque Gwènaëlle G Saint Jalme Michel M Lacroix Frédéric F Hingrat Yves Y Lesobre Loïc L

Communications biology 20230322 1

Sperm competition is a powerful force driving the evolution of ejaculate and sperm traits. However, the outcome of sperm competition depends on many traits that extend beyond ejaculate quality. Here, we study male North African houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) competing for egg fertilization, after artificial insemination, with the aim to rank the importance of 14 parameters as drivers of siring success. Using a machine learning approach, we show that traits independent of male q ...[more]

PMID: 36949210

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Project description:Populations of Houbara Bustards have dramatically declined in recent years. Captive breeding and reintroduction programs have had limited success in reviving population numbers and thus new technological solutions involving molecular methods are essential for the long term survival of this species. In this study, we sequenced the 694 bp segment of COI gene of the four specimens of Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii). We also compared these sequences with earlier published barcodes of 11 individuals comprising different families of the orders Gruiformes, Ciconiiformes, Podicipediformes and Crocodylia (out group). The pair-wise sequence comparison showed a total of 254 variable sites across all the 15 sequences from different taxa. Three of the four specimens of Houbara Bustard had an identical sequence of COI gene and one individual showed a single nucleotide difference (G > A transition at position 83). Within the bustard family (Otididae), comparison among the three species (Asian Houbara Bustard, Great Bustard (Otis tarda) and the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax)), representing three different genera, showed 116 variable sites. For another family (Rallidae), the intra-family variable sites among the individuals of four different genera were found to be 146. The COI genetic distances among the 15 individuals varied from 0.000 to 0.431. Phylogenetic analysis using 619 bp nucleotide segment of COI clearly discriminated all the species representing different genera, families and orders. All the four specimens of Houbara Bustard formed a single clade and are clearly separated from other two individuals of the same family (Otis tarda and Tetrax tetrax). The nucleotide sequence of partial segment of COI gene effectively discriminated the closely related species. This is the first study reporting the barcodes of Houbara Bustard and would be helpful in future molecular studies, particularly for the conservation of this threatened bird in Saudi Arabia.

Project description:BackgroundThe Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) is a wild seasonal breeding bird populating arid sandy semi-desert habitats in North Africa and the Middle East. Its population has declined drastically during the last two decades and it is classified as vulnerable. Captive breeding programmes have, hitherto, been unsuccessful in reviving population numbers and thus radical technological solutions are essential for the long term survival of this species. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of primordial germ cell-mediated chimera technology to produce viable Houbara bustard offspring.Methodology/principal findingsEmbryonic gonadal tissue was dissected from Houbara bustard embryos at eight days post-incubation. Subsequently, Houbara tissue containing gonadal primordial germ cells (gPGCs) was injected into White Leghorn chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) embryos, producing 83/138 surviving male chimeric embryos, of which 35 chimeric roosters reached sexual maturity after 5 months. The incorporation and differentiation of Houbara gPGCs in chimeric chicken testis were assessed by PCR with Houbara-specific primers and 31.3% (5/16) gonads collected from the injected chicken embryos showed the presence of donor Houbara cells. A total of 302 semen samples from 34 chimeric roosters were analyzed and eight were confirmed as germline chimeras. Semen samples from these eight roosters were used to artificially inseminate three female Houbara bustards. Subsequently, 45 Houbara eggs were obtained and incubated, two of which were fertile. One egg hatched as a male live born Houbara; the other was female but died before hatching. Genotyping confirmed that the male chick was a pure-line Houbara derived from a chimeric rooster.ConclusionThis study demonstrates for the first time that Houbara gPGCs can migrate, differentiate and eventually give rise to functional sperm in the chimeric chicken testis. This approach may provide a promising tool for propagation and conservation of endangered avian species that cannot breed in captivity.

Project description:Alternative and modified therapeutic approaches are key elements in culminating antibiotic resistance. To this end, an experimental trial was conducted to determine the cytotoxicity and antibacterial potential of composites of magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles and antibiotics stabilized in sodium alginate gel against multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a houbara bustard. The characterization of preparations was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmissible electron microscopy (STEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The preparations used in this trial consisted of gel-stabilized MgO nanoparticles (MG), gel-stabilized tylosin (GT), gel-stabilized ampicillin (GA), gel-stabilized cefoxitin (GC), gel-stabilized MgO and tylosin (GMT), gel-stabilized MgO and cefoxitin (GMC), and gel-stabilized MgO and ampicillin (GMA). The study presents composites that cause a lesser extent of damage to DNA while significantly enhancing mitotic indices/phases compared to the other single component preparations with respect to the positive control (methyl methanesulphonate). It was also noted that there was a non-significant difference (p > 0.05) between the concentrations of composites and the negative control in the toxicity trial. Studying in parallel trials showed an increased prevalence, potential risk factors, and antibiotic resistance in S. aureus. The composites in a well diffusion trial showed the highest percentage increase in the zone of inhibition in the case of GT (58.42%), followed by GMT (46.15%), GC (40.65%), GMC (40%), GMA (28.72%), and GA (21.75%) compared to the antibiotics alone. A broth microdilution assay showed the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the case of GMA (9.766 ± 00 µg/mL), followed by that of GT (13.02 ± 5.64 µg/mL), GMC (19.53 ± 0.00 µg/mL), GA (26.04 ± 11.28 µg/mL), GMT (26.04 ± 11.28 µg/mL), MG (39.06 ± 0.00 µg/mL), and GC (39.06 ± 0.00 µg/mL). The study thus concludes the effective tackling of multiple-drug-resistant S. aureus with sodium-alginate-stabilized MgO nanoparticles and antibiotics, whereas toxicity proved to be negligible for these composites.

Dataset Information

Ranking parameters driving siring success during sperm competition in the North African houbara bustard.

Publications

Ranking parameters driving siring success during sperm competition in the North African houbara bustard.

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