Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Lay Summary
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (50)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Balshine, S.
Right arrow Articles by Montgomerie, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Balshine, S.
Right arrow Articles by Montgomerie, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Behavioral Ecology Vol. 12 No. 6: 726-731
© 2001 International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Sperm size of African cichlids in relation to sperm competition

Sigal Balshinea, Brenda J. Leachb, Francis Neata, Noam Y. Wernerc and Robert Montgomerieb

a Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada b Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada c Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel

Address correspondence to S. Balshine. E-mail: sigal{at}mcmaster.ca .

We compared pairs of closely related taxa of cichlid fishes from Lake Tanganyika to examine the relationship between sperm size and the presumed intensity of sperm competition. In contrast to previous reports of relatively short sperm in polygamous fishes across a variety of taxa, we found that polygamous cichlids had significantly longer sperm than their closest monogamous relatives. In addition, sperm length was significantly related to relative testis size (controlling for body size and phylogeny). The site of fertilization may also be correlated with sperm length, as species that fertilize in the female's buccal cavity had significantly shorter sperm than those that fertilized eggs on the substrate. Assuming that relatively large testes and polygamous mating are indicative of more intense sperm competition, these results indicate that sperm length is related to the intensity of sperm competition in this clade of cichlids, as has been found previously in insects, birds, and mammals.

Key words: Cichlidae, Lake Tanganyika, mating systems, sperm competition, sperm morphology, testes.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
B. Baer, M. B. Dijkstra, U. G. Mueller, D. R. Nash, and J. J. Boomsma
Sperm length evolution in the fungus-growing ants
Behav. Ecol., January 1, 2009; 20(1): 38 - 45.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
R. C. Firman and L. W. Simmons
Polyandry, sperm competition, and reproductive success in mice
Behav. Ecol., July 1, 2008; 19(4): 695 - 702.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc R Soc BHome page
J.L Fitzpatrick, J.K Desjardins, N Milligan, K.A Stiver, R Montgomerie, and S Balshine
Female-mediated causes and consequences of status change in a social fish
Proc R Soc B, April 22, 2008; 275(1637): 929 - 936.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
L. W. Simmons and J. S. Kotiaho
From the Cover: Quantitative genetic correlation between trait and preference supports a sexually selected sperm process
PNAS, October 16, 2007; 104(42): 16604 - 16608.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biol. Reprod.Home page
J.L. Fitzpatrick, J.K. Desjardins, N. Milligan, R. Montgomerie, and S. Balshine
Reproductive-Tactic-Specific Variation in Sperm Swimming Speeds in a Shell-Brooding Cichlid
Biol Reprod, August 1, 2007; 77(2): 280 - 284.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc R Soc BHome page
S. Immler and T. R Birkhead
Sperm competition and sperm midpiece size: no consistent pattern in passerine birds
Proc R Soc B, February 22, 2007; 274(1609): 561 - 568.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
S. Calhim and T. R. Birkhead
Testes size in birds: quality versus quantity--assumptions, errors, and estimates
Behav. Ecol., January 1, 2007; 18(1): 271 - 275.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
M. Gomendio, J. Martin-Coello, C. Crespo, C. Magana, and E. R. S. Roldan
From the Cover: Sperm competition enhances functional capacity of mammalian spermatozoa
PNAS, October 10, 2006; 103(41): 15113 - 15117.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc R Soc BHome page
K. Summers, C. Sea McKeon, and H. Heying
The evolution of parental care and egg size: a comparative analysis in frogs
Proc R Soc B, March 22, 2006; 273(1587): 687 - 692.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
B. D. Neff, P. Fu, and M. R. Gross
Sperm investment and alternative mating tactics in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus)
Behav. Ecol., September 1, 2003; 14(5): 634 - 641.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Behav EcolHome page
L. W. Simmons, J. Wernham, F. Garcia-Gonzalez, and D. Kamien
Variation in paternity in the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus: no detectable influence of sperm numbers or sperm length
Behav. Ecol., July 1, 2003; 14(4): 539 - 545.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.