Fertilization mode differentially impacts the evolution of vertebrate sperm components.

ABSTRACT: Environmental change frequently drives morphological diversification, including at the cellular level. Transitions in the environment where fertilization occurs (i.e., fertilization mode) are hypothesized to be a driver of the extreme diversity in sperm morphology observed in animals. Yet how fertilization mode impacts the evolution of sperm components-head, midpiece, and flagellum-each with different functional roles that must act as an integrated unit remains unclear. Here, we test this hypothesis by examining the evolution of sperm component lengths across 1103 species of vertebrates varying in fertilization mode (external vs. internal fertilization). Sperm component length is explained in part by fertilization mode across vertebrates, but how fertilization mode influences sperm evoluti

SUBMITTER: Kahrl AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9649735 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature