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Sperm heteromorphism

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	Sperm heteromorphism
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	Topics Sperm heteromorphism Topic Home Sperm heteromorphism is the simultaneous production of two or more distinguishable types of spermSperm The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells.... by a single maleMalé Mal , population 81,647 , is the capital of the Republic of Maldives.... . The sperm types might differ in size, shape and/or chromosomeChromosome A chromosome is a large macromolecule into which DNA is normally packaged in a cell.... complement. Sperm heteromorphism is also called sperm polymorphism or sperm dimorphism (for species with two sperm types). Typically, only one sperm type is capable of fertilizing eggsOvum An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete.... . Fertile types have been called "eusperm" or "eupyrene sperm" and infertile types "parasperm" or "apyrene sperm". Distribution Sperm heteromorphism is known from several different groups of animals. Insects LepidopteraLepidoptera The order Lepidoptera is the second largest order in the class insecta and includes the butterflies, skippers, and moths.... (i.e. butterflies and moths): Almost all known speciesSpecies In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity.... produce two sperm types. The fertilizing type has a longer tail and contains a nucleusCell nucleus In cell biology, the nucleus is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells.... . The other type is shorter and lacks a nucleus, meaning it contains no genetic information at all. DrosophilaFacts About Drosophila *Drosophila* is a genus of small flies whose members are often called small fruit flies, or more appropriately vinegar fli... (fruit-flies): the D. obscura group of species in the genusGenus In the binomial nomenclature used worldwide, the name of an organism is composed of two parts: its genus name and a species... Drosophila is sperm heteromorphic. Similarly to the Lepidoptera, there is a long, fertile type and a short, infertile type. However, the infertile type has a nucleus with a normal, haploid chromosome complement. It is infertile for reasons unknown, though it has been suggested that the slightly wider head of the infertile type might prevent it from entering the micropyle of the egg. Diosidae (stalk-eyed flies): several species have a long, fertile type and a shorter infertile type. Carabidae (ground beetles): some species produce large, infertile sperm which may contain up to 100 sets of chromosomes. Molluscs Some prosobranch gastropods (snails) produce two or three sperm types. The infertile types may be large "carrier" types to which the fertile sperm attach for transport, or "lancet" types. The lancet sperm sometimes contain many lysosomes. Fish Some SculpinSculpin A Sculpin is a fish that belongs to the Order Scorpaeniformes, Suborder Cottoidei and Superfamily Cottoidea that contains 11... may be sperm heteromorphic. Their ejaculates appear to contain fertile sperm as well as disc-shaped, infertile sperm. Possible functions of sperm heteromorphism Non-adaptive The non-fertilising morph(s) have no function, and are simply developmental errors. This is thought to be unlikely in many sperm heteromorphic species because the production of infertile sperm may be highly regulated, and infertile sperm can make up >90% of the total sperm in some Lepidoptera and Drosophila. Provisioning The non-fertilising morph(s) are a means in which males can provide nutrition to the female, her eggs or the fertilising sperm. Facilitation The non-fertilising sperm help the fertilising sperm by assisting their transport or capacitationCapacitation Capacitation is the final step in the maturation of mammalian spermatozoa and is required to render them competent to fertil... (i.e. the acquisition of fertilisation competence). In silkworms, there is good evidence that fertile sperm are unable to fertilise if the non-fertile sperm are not present. The researchers artificially inseminated fertile sperm, non-fertile sperm or a mixture of both. Only the last group resulted in offspring production. Sperm competition Non-fertile sperm increase the fertilisation success of the male producing them when sperm competitionSperm competition Sperm competition is "competition between sperm of two or more males for the fertilization of an ova".... occurs. This might be offensively (e.g. displacing or even killing rival fertilising sperm) defensively (e.g. by blocking areas of the female tract or creating a hostile pre-fertilisation environment). "Cheap filler" Non-fertile sperm delay or prevent the female mating again, thus allowing the male producing the non-fertile sperm a greater share of the paternity of her offspring (because the male avoids Sperm competitionSperm competition Sperm competition is "competition between sperm of two or more males for the fertilization of an ova".... ). For example, sperm might fill up the sperm storage organs so that female "perceives" that she does not need to re-mate to obtain more sperm. Alternatively, the sperm may transfer chemicals similar to sex peptide, a chemical which is carried on the sperm of Drosophila melanogasterDrosophila melanogaster Summary *Drosophila melanogaster* is a two-winged insect that belongs to the Diptera, the order of the flies.... that makes females less likely to accept mates (i.e. it is an anti-aphrodesiac). There is correlational evidence for this theory in a butterfly, Pieris napi. Females that were receptive to a second mating had fewer of the non-fertile sperm type in storage than did non-receptive females. Thus, the infertile sperm may be responsible for delaying female remating. This theory was also tested in the fruit-fly Drosophila pseudoobscura, but the results suggested that "cheap filler" was not important in that species.