Frequency-dependent viscosity of salmon ovarian fluid has biophysical implications for sperm-egg interactions.

ABSTRACT: Gamete-level sexual selection of externally fertilising species is usually achieved by modifying sperm behaviour with mechanisms that alter the chemical environment in which gametes perform. In fish, this can be accomplished through the ovarian fluid, a substance released with the eggs at spawning. While the biochemical effects of ovarian fluid in relation to sperm energetics have been investigated, the influence of the physical environment in which sperm compete remains poorly explored. Our objective was therefore to gain insights on the physical structure of this fluid and potential impacts on reproduction. Using soft-matter physics approaches of steady-state and oscillatory viscosity measurements, we subjected wild Atlantic salmon ovarian fluids to variable shear stresses and frequencie

SUBMITTER: Graziano M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10086386 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature