DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of Sperm Conjugation

论文研究：精子结合的进化

• 批准号: 0910049
• 负责人: Scott Pitnick
• 金额: $ 0.79万
• 依托单位: Syracuse University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-06-01 至 2011-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0910049&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Evolution; Sperm; Conjugation

Sperm have tremendous diversity, but the evolutionary significance of variation in sperm form is poorly understood. One of the more unusual kinds of variation is conjugation, where two or more sperm join at the head to form a single functional unit. Conjugation is commonly interpreted as an adaptation to sperm competition and has independently arisen in groups as diverse as opossums, snails, and diving beetles. This study examines the evolutionary pathways and fitness consequences of sperm conjugation. The researchers will use behavioral observations, biochemistry, and cytology to (i) compare the intensity of sperm competition in species with and without sperm conjugation, (ii) test the hypothesis that conjugation provides protection from spermicidal environments, and (iii) quantify the effects of sperm length and conjugate size on motility, an important correlate of fertilization success.The intellectual merit of this research program includes its potential to reveal the relationship between sperm form and function and to improve understanding of the selective environment of sperm, a greatly neglected aspect of sexual selection. This project will provide training for a PhD student and valuable laboratory and field-based research opportunities for undergraduates. Resultant data will be submitted to public databases to facilitate research, and specimens collected during the course of the project will be deposited in museum collections (e.g. NMNH).

精子具有巨大的多样性，但是精子形式变异的进化意义知之甚少。更不寻常的变化之一是共轭，其中两个或多个精子在头部与单个功能单位形成。共轭通常被解释为适应精子竞争的一种适应性，并且独立于构造，蜗牛和潜水甲虫等多样化的群体中产生。这项研究检查了精子结合的进化途径和适应性后果。 研究人员将使用行为观察，生物化学和细胞学来比较（i）比较具有和不具有精子偶联物种的精子竞争强度，（ii）检验结合提供的假设，即共轭可提供保护侵害精子环境，以及（iii）量化效果。精子长度和偶联的运动性，这是施肥成功的重要相关性。该研究计划的智力优点包括其潜力揭示精子形式和功能之间的关系，并提高对精子选择性环境的理解，这是一个非常被忽略的方面性选择。该项目将为博士生和有价值的实验室和基于现场的研究机会提供培训。 最终的数据将提交到公共数据库以促进研究，并且在项目过程中收集的标本将存放在博物馆收藏（例如NMNH）中。