Sperm competition intensity shapes divergence in both sperm morphology and reproductive genes across murine rodents.

ABSTRACT: It remains unclear how variation in the intensity of sperm competition shapes phenotypic and molecular evolution across clades. Mice and rats in the subfamily Murinae are a rapid radiation exhibiting incredible diversity in sperm morphology and production. We combined phenotypic and genomic data to perform phylogenetic comparisons of male reproductive traits and genes across 78 murine species. We identified several shifts towards smaller relative testes mass (RTM), presumably reflecting reduced sperm competition. Several sperm traits were associated with RTM, suggesting that mating system evolution selects for convergent suites of traits related to sperm competitive ability. We predicted that sperm competition would also drive more rapid molecular divergence in species with large testes. C

SUBMITTER: Kopania EEK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11663510 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature