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Large donors transfer more sperm, but depletion is faster in a promiscuous hermaphrodite

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Abstract

Males are limited in sperm and seminal fluid, which can lead to prudent sperm allocation across consecutive matings. While sperm depletion is usually considered a population characteristic, we investigated an individual size-related variation in sperm depletion in the promiscuous sea slug Chelidonura sandrana. We found that sperm counts substantially declined across four successive copulations, indicating sperm depletion. Sperm depletion occurred at a disproportionally fast rate in larger sperm donors. Based on our finding of body size-dependent sperm depletion, we further investigated whether this translates into prudent sperm allocation across ejaculates. We found no evidence that slugs adjusted the number of delivered sperm in response to partner body weight, a tight proxy of fecundity. Instead, sperm counts increased with sperm donor body weight. Sperm donation independent of partner body size and—as found in previous work—partner novelty leaves scope for currently unidentified traits like the sperm competition environment to affect male sperm allocation. Alternatively, we propose that, in C. sandrana, a low optimal male mating rate close to the female optimum as indicated by our data may ultimately render indiscriminate sperm allocation the most beneficial male mating strategy.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff of Lizard Island Research Station, Australia, for excellent support during field work. Field and laboratory work were carried out with permission from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA permit no. G09/30973.1 to Rolanda Lange). Constructive suggestions by two anonymous referees helped improving the presentation of our data. We received funding by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to JW and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) to NA (AN 549/2-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Evolutionary Ecology Group, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tuebingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany

    Nils Anthes, Johanna Werminghausen & Rolanda Lange

  2. School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, 3800, Australia

    Rolanda Lange

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  1. Nils Anthes
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  2. Johanna Werminghausen
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  3. Rolanda Lange
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Correspondence to Nils Anthes.

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Communicated by N. Wedell

Nils Anthes and Rolanda Lange equally contributed to this work.

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Anthes, N., Werminghausen, J. & Lange, R. Large donors transfer more sperm, but depletion is faster in a promiscuous hermaphrodite. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 68, 477–483 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1662-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1662-y

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