Nonfertilizing sperm in Lepidoptera show little evidence for recurrent positive selection.

ABSTRACT: Sperm are among the most variable cells in nature. Some of this variation results from nonadaptive errors in spermatogenesis, but many species consistently produce multiple sperm morphs, the adaptive significance of which remains unknown. Here, we investigate the evolution of dimorphic sperm in Lepidoptera, the butterflies and moths. Males of this order produce both fertilizing sperm and a secondary, nonfertilizing type that lacks DNA. Previous organismal studies suggested a role for nonfertilizing sperm in sperm competition, but this hypothesis has never been evaluated from a molecular framework. We combined published data sets with new sequencing in two species, the monandrous Carolina sphinx moth and the highly polyandrous monarch butterfly. Based on population genetic analyses, we see

SUBMITTER: Mongue AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6584056 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature