128898 - Effects of male telomeres on probability of paternity in sand lizards.pdf (363.04 kB)
Effects of male telomeres on probability of paternity in sand lizards
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 22:04 authored by Pauliny, A, Miller, E, Rollings, N, Erik WapstraErik Wapstra, Blomqvist, D, Friesen, CR, Olsson, MStandardized swim-up trials are used in in vitro fertilization clinics to select particularly motile spermatozoa in order to increase the probability of a successful fertilization. Such trials demonstrate that sperm with longer telomeres have higher motility and lower levels of DNA damage. Regardless of whether sperm motility, and successful swim-up to fertilization sites, is a direct or correlational effect of telomere length or DNA damage, covariation between telomere length and sperm performance predicts a relationship between telomere length and probability of paternity in sperm competition, a prediction that for ethical reasons cannot be tested on humans. Here, we test this prediction in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) using experimental data from twice-mated females in a laboratory population, and telomere length in blood from the participating lizards. Female identity influenced paternity (while the mechanism was not identified), while relatively longer male telomeres predicted higher probability of paternity. We discuss potential mechanisms underpinning this result.
Funding
Australian Research Council
History
Publication title
Biology LettersVolume
14Issue
8Article number
20180033Number
20180033Pagination
1-3ISSN
1744-9561Department/School
School of Natural SciencesPublisher
The Royal Society PublishingPlace of publication
United KingdomRights statement
Copyright 2018 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.Repository Status
- Open