Fine-scale genital morphology affects male ejaculation success: an experimental test.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of male genital traits is usually ascribed to advantages that arise when there is sperm competition, cryptic female choice or sexual conflict. However, when male-female contact is brief and sperm production is costly, genital structures that ensure the appropriate timing of sperm release should also be under intense selection. Few studies have examined the role of individual structures in triggering ejaculation. We therefore conducted a series of anatomical manipulations of fine-scale features of the complex intromittent organ (gonopodium) of a freshwater fish with internal fertilization (Gambusia holbrooki) to determine their effects on sperm release. Mating in G. holbrooki is fleeting (less than 50 ms), so there should be strong selection for control over the

SUBMITTER: Chung MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7336860 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature