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Sperm traits of the quacking frog, Crinia georgiana: intra- and interpopulation variation in a species with a high risk of sperm competition

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Abstract

Sperm traits often show extreme variation both between and within species. Between-species variation may often be interpreted in the context of a sperm competition theory, but within-species variation has remained unexplained. Previous studies on intraspecific variation in sperm traits have focused on a limited set of variables and may have failed to explain observed variation because of potential trade-offs between different sperm traits. We report on variation in number, size, motility and longevity of sperm in the frog Crinia georgiana, a species where sperm competition is common. We found intrapopulation variation in sperm size and motility and interpopulation variation in relative sperm number and size. When we combined relative sperm number and size into one variable, and motility and longevity into another, we found significant interpopulation variation in these variables as well. We also detected considerable intra- and significant interpopulation variation in cumulative sperm quality, a combination of all four sperm traits. Furthermore, a significant effect of the interaction between population origin and male size on sperm characteristics indicated interpopulation variation in the strength of selection acting on sperm traits of males adopting different mating strategies. We discuss heterogeneity in the reproductive environment, a complex genetic background in the determination of sperm characteristics and varying levels of developmental noise as potential contributors to the observed variation in sperm traits.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Martin A. Dziminski for help with the field work and Leigh W. Simmons, David J. Hosken and János Török for comments that have led to substantial improvements in the manuscript. This study was supported by a Hungarian State Eötvös Fellowship financed by the Ministry of Education and promoted by the Hungarian Scholarship Board (grant to A.H.), by an Australia–Europe Scholarship funded by the Australian government through the Department of Education, Science and Training and promoted by Australian Education International (grant to A.H. and J.D.R.) and by a UWA Research Grant (grant to J.D.R. and P. Vercoe). Animal collections were made under permit from the Department of Conservation and Land Management (licence no. SF004231), and all procedures were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the University of Western Australia (approval no. 03/100/292). We declare that the experiments complied with current laws in Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary

    Attila Hettyey

  2. School of Animal Biology (MO92), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Western Australia, 6009, Australia

    Attila Hettyey & J. Dale Roberts

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  1. Attila Hettyey
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  2. J. Dale Roberts
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Correspondence to Attila Hettyey.

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Communicated by Communicated by J. Christensen-Dalsgaard

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Hettyey, A., Roberts, J.D. Sperm traits of the quacking frog, Crinia georgiana: intra- and interpopulation variation in a species with a high risk of sperm competition. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 59, 389–396 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-005-0062-3

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