| Literature DB >> 29046576 |
Ulrich Knief1,2, Wolfgang Forstmeier3, Yifan Pei1, Malika Ihle1, Daiping Wang1, Katrin Martin1, Pavlína Opatová4,5, Jana Albrechtová4,5, Michael Wittig6, Andre Franke6, Tomáš Albrecht4,5, Bart Kempenaers1.
Abstract
Male reproductive success depends on the competitive ability of sperm to fertilize the ova, which should lead to strong selection on sperm characteristics. This raises the question of how heritable variation in sperm traits is maintained. Here we show that in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) nearly half of the variance in sperm morphology is explained by an inversion on the Z chromosome with a 40% allele frequency in the wild. The sperm of males that are heterozygous for the inversion had the longest midpieces and the highest velocity. Furthermore, such males achieved the highest fertility and the highest siring success, both within-pair and extra-pair. Males homozygous for the derived allele show detrimental sperm characteristics and the lowest siring success. Our results suggest heterozygote advantage as the mechanism that maintains the inversion polymorphism and hence variance in sperm design and in fitness.Entities:
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Year: 2017 PMID： 29046576 DOI： 10.1038/s41559-017-0236-1
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Nat Ecol Evol ISSN： 2397-334X Impact factor: 15.460