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Seasonal variation in ejaculate traits of male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus)

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Abstract

Many reproductive traits, including ejaculate characteristics, usually show remarkable seasonal variation, but the potential for such dynamics in sperm morphology has been overlooked. Several studies have revealed high within-male repeatability in sperm morphology, but samples have typically been collected within a few hours or days, and the consistency of sperm morphology over longer periods remains unexplored. Here, we tested whether ejaculate traits, including sperm morphology, sperm number, and sperm velocity, exhibit seasonal phenotypic plasticity in a long-lived seasonal breeder, the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). We found absolute and/or relative flagellum length and sperm velocity to increase across the season, whereas sperm numbers within ejaculates declined. Sperm morphological traits were further positively associated with harem size or the total number of offspring that fledged in each male’s territory, suggesting that sperm morphology is likely to be linked to male reproductive quality. The underlying mechanisms of these patterns of seasonal variation remain unresolved, but we discuss our results in the context of dynamics of reproductive hormones, testicular structures and function, and reproductive behavior.

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Acknowledgments

We thank J. M. Fraterrigo, J. Homan, G. M. Linz, L. Reinhardt, and A. Trutsch for their help in the field and R. Montgomerie and two anonymous referees for valuable comments. SL was supported by the Janggen-Poehn Foundation, the Swiss National Science Foundation, a Sheffield University Overseas Research Student Award, a Lauff Research Award, and an NSF LTER Graduate Research Award; TRB, by a grant from the Leverhulme Trust; and DFW, by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the University of Kentucky.

Ethical standards

All fieldwork complies with the current laws of the USA, where the study was performed, and samples of all populations were collected under license of the respective authorities.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Life Sciences Complex, 107 College Place, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244-1270, USA

    Stefan Lüpold

  2. Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK

    Stefan Lüpold & Tim R. Birkhead

  3. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, 3700 Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners, MI, 49060, USA

    Stefan Lüpold

  4. Department of Biology, 101 Morgan Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    David F. Westneat

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  1. Stefan Lüpold
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  2. Tim R. Birkhead
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Correspondence to Stefan Lüpold.

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Communicated by S. Pruett-Jones

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Lüpold, S., Birkhead, T.R. & Westneat, D.F. Seasonal variation in ejaculate traits of male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 66, 1607–1617 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1415-3

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