Biol. Bull. Sign up for etocs!
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
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 Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, S. L.
Right arrow Articles by Yund, P. O.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, S. L.
Right arrow Articles by Yund, P. O.
Related Collections
Right arrow Ecology
Right arrow Evolution
Right arrow Physiology
Right arrow Reproduction
Right arrow Urochordates
Biol. Bull. 206: 144-151. (June 2004)
© 2004 Marine Biological Laboratory

Remarkable Longevity of Dilute Sperm in a Free-Spawning Colonial Ascidian

Sheri L. Johnson1,* and Philip O. Yund2

1 School of Marine Sciences, Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, Walpole, Maine 04573
2 Marine Sciences Center, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine 04005

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sherij{at}maine.edu

Many benthic marine invertebrates reproduce by releasing sperm into the sea (free-spawning), but the amount of time that sperm are viable after spawning may have different consequences for fertilization, depending on the type of free-spawner. In egg-broadcasting marine organisms, gamete age is usually assumed to be irrelevant because of the low probability of contact between dilute sperm and egg. However, direct dilution effects might be reduced in egg-brooding free-spawners that filter dilute sperm out of the water column, and sperm longevity may play a role in facilitating fertilization in these taxa. We investigated the effects of time, temperature, and mixing on the viability of naturally released sperm of the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Our data indicate that B. schlosseri sperm have a functional life span that is considerably longer than those of the sperm of many other marine invertebrate taxa (half-life of ~16 to 26 h), are able to fertilize eggs at extremely low external sperm concentrations (ca. 101 sperm ml–1), and have a longevity that varies with temperature. It is possible that such prolonged sperm longevity may be achieved by reductions in motility, reactivation of quiescent sperm by chemical cues, or intermittent swimming.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Biol. Bull.Home page
J. A. Pechenik, J. S. Pearse, and P.-Y. Qian
Effects of Salinity on Spawning and Early Development of the Tube-Building Polychaete Hydroides elegans in Hong Kong: Not Just the Sperm's Fault?
Biol. Bull., April 1, 2007; 212(2): 151 - 160.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Integr. Comp. Biol.Home page
J. D. D. Bishop and A. J. Pemberton
The third way: spermcast mating in sessile marine invertebrates
Integr. Comp. Biol., August 1, 2006; 46(4): 398 - 406.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biol. Bull.Home page
A. Phillippi, E. Hamann, and P. O. Yund
Fertilization in an Egg-Brooding Colonial Ascidian Does Not Vary With Population Density
Biol. Bull., June 1, 2004; 206(3): 152 - 160.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2004 by the Marine Biological Laboratory.