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Sperm length variation in House Wrens Troglodytes aedon

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Abstract

It is well documented that sperm size and structure varies considerably among avian species, but we know much less about the extent of intraspecific variation in sperm morphometry and its possible co-variation with somatic traits like body size and condition. Here, we investigate patterns of sperm length variation and co-variation in a population of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon). Total sperm length showed considerable between-male variation, with high repeatability between seasons indicative of a strong genetic basis for this trait. However, we also detected a seasonal increase in the flagellum:head length ratio, which might indicate phenotypic plasticity or adjustment in the relative size of sperm components. The variation in total sperm length within an ejaculate sample was higher for males sampled very early in the season, which may reflect more heterogeneity in the size of seminiferous tubules when testes are growing. None of the studied sperm morphometry traits correlated significantly with any measures of male body size or physiological condition. Further studies are needed to reveal if the observed individual variation in sperm morphology plays any functional or adaptive role.

Zusammenfassung

Variation in der Spermienlänge von Hauszaunkönigen ( Troglodytes aedon )

Obwohl sehr viel über die Variation in Spermiengröße und –struktur zwischen Vogelarten bekannt ist, wissen wir verhältnismäßig weniger über innerartliche Variation in der Morphologie von Spermien sowie über die mögliche Kovarianz zwischen Körpergröße und Kondition. Hier untersuchen wir Muster in der Variation und Kovarianz von Spermienlänge in Hauszaunkönigen (Troglodytes aedon). Wir fanden relative viel Variation in der Spermienlänge zwischen Männchen, wobei eine hohe Ähnlichkeit zwischen Jahren auf eine mögliche genetische Basis hinweist. Wir haben außerdem eine Zunahme des Verhältnisses von Flagellum zu Kopf über die Saison hinweg beobachten können, was möglicherweise auf phänotypische Plastizität in der relativen Größe von verschiedenen morphologischen Komponenten von Spermien hinweist. Die Variation in absoluter Spermienlänge innerhalb einer Ejakulatprobe war höher für Männchen die früh in der Saison beprobt wurden, was möglicherweise auf mehr Heterogenität in der Größe der Hodenkanälchen während der Wachstumsphase der Hoden hinweist. Keine der untersuchten morphologischen Merkmale der Spermien korrelierte statistisch signifikant mit der Körpergröße oder der physiologischen Kondition der Männchen. Weitere Untersuchungen sind notwendig um herauszufinden ob die hier beschrieben Variation in der Morphologie von Spermien wichtig für Funktion und Adaptation ist.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Cornell University Research Ponds for access to the field site, field assistants (Eileen McIver, Katie Baird, Noelle Chaine, Natalie Koscal, and Carly Hodes) and others (Paulo Llambías, Taza Schaming, Katie LaBarbera, Kim Bostwick, Charles Dardia, and Irby Lovette and the Evolutionary Biology Lab) for field and logistical support; Elaina Tuttle, Stephen Pruett-Jones, Emma Greig, anonymous reviewers, and the Cornell Behavior Journal Club for feedback on the manuscript and data interpretation; Sandy Vehrencamp for support throughout; and Bob Doran and the Paula Cohen lab for microscope assistance in the USA. Funding was provided by grants from the Animal Behavior Society, American Ornithologists’ Union, Cornell Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University Sigma Xi Chapter, as well as a donation to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology from the Kramer family and a National Science Foundation (USA) Graduate Research Fellowship and Nordic Research Opportunity Fellowship. T.L., O.K. and J.T.L. were supported by a grant from the Research Council of Norway. This study was approved by the Cornell University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and complied with the current laws in Norway and the USA.

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Author notes

  1. Oddmund Kleven

    Present address: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P. O. Box 5685, Sluppen, 7485, Trondheim, Norway

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Emily R. A. Cramer

  2. National Centre for Biosystematics, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P. O. Box 1172, Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway

    Terje Laskemoen, Oddmund Kleven & Jan T. Lifjeld

Authors
  1. Emily R. A. Cramer
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Correspondence to Emily R. A. Cramer.

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Communicated by T. Friedl.

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Cramer, E.R.A., Laskemoen, T., Kleven, O. et al. Sperm length variation in House Wrens Troglodytes aedon . J Ornithol 154, 129–138 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-012-0878-3

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