Selection on sperm size in response to promiscuity and variation in female sperm storage organs.

ABSTRACT: Sperm cells are exceptionally morphologically diverse across taxa. However, morphology can be quite uniform within species, particularly for species where females copulate with many males per reproductive bout. Strong sexual selection in these promiscuous species is widely hypothesized to reduce intraspecific sperm variation. Conversely, we hypothesize that intraspecific sperm size variation may be maintained by high among-female variation in the size of sperm storage organs, assuming that paternity success improves when sperm are compatible in size with the sperm storage organ. We use individual-based simulations and an analytical model to evaluate how selection on sperm size depends on promiscuity level and variation in sperm storage organ size (hereafter, female preference variation). S

SUBMITTER: Cramer ERA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10100110 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature