Comparative studies of elemental composition on ejaculated fowl, bull, rat, dog and boar spermatozoa by electron probe X-ray microanalysis.

1. Comparative analyses of the concentrations of bulk and trace elements on the head, midpiece and tail regions of the ejaculated fowl, bull, rat, dog and boar spermatozoa were performed using X-ray microanalysis with scanning electron microscopy. 2. Although the pattern of distribution of elements on the surface of the three different subcellular regions was, in general, similar among all the species, there were substantial shifts in absolute concentrations. 3. Concentration of magnesium on the dog spermatozoa was significantly higher (about 2 times) than those of the other species. 4. Zinc, copper, iron and manganese concentrations were higher on fowl spermatozoa compared with those of the other species studied. 5. The Na-to-K ratios on the midpiece ranged from 1.46 (rat) to 2.26 (dog).