edoc

Expandable spermatheca influences sperm storage in the simultaneously hermaphroditic snail Arianta arbustorum

Beese, Kathleen and Baur, Bruno. (2006) Expandable spermatheca influences sperm storage in the simultaneously hermaphroditic snail Arianta arbustorum. Invertebrate reproduction and development, Vol. 49, H. 1/2. pp. 93-101.

Full text not available from this repository.

Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A5249014

Downloads: Statistics Overview

Abstract

In many simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail species, the sperm storage organ (spermatheca) is highly structured, suggesting that the female function might be able to influence offspring paternity. Physical properties of the sperm storage organ, including its initial size and sperm storage capacity, may also affect fertilization patterns in multiply mated snails. We examined the structure, volume and tubule length of empty spermathecae in the land snail, Arianta arbustorum, and assessed differences in spermatheca size following a single copulation The number of spermathecal tubules ranged from 2-7, but was not correlated with the volume of empty spermathecae. The volume of sperm stored in the spermatheca after a copulation was correlated with neither the number of spermathecal tubules nor copulation duration. Mean spermathecal volume more than doubled between two and thirty-six hours after sperm uptake, but the length of the spermathecal tubules did not change. Interestingly, the volume of sperm stored in the spermatheca seems not to be related to the size of the spermatophore and thus not to the number of sperm received (= allosperm). The amount of allosperm digested in the bursa copulatrix was highly variable and no significant relationship with the size of the spermatophore received was found These findings suggest that numerical aspects of sperm transfer are less important in influencing fertilization success of sperm in A. arbustorum than properties of the female reproductive tract of the sperm receiver.
Faculties and Departments:05 Faculty of Science > Departement Umweltwissenschaften > Ehemalige Einheiten Umweltwissenschaften > Naturschutzbiologie (Baur)
UniBasel Contributors:Baur, Bruno
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Balaban
ISSN:0168-8170
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Identification Number:
Last Modified:22 Mar 2012 14:28
Deposited On:22 Mar 2012 14:04

Repository Staff Only: item control page