Rival seminal fluid induces enhanced sperm motility in a polyandrous ant.

• publication
• 24-03-2018

Liberti J, Baer B, Boomsma JJ. BMC Evol Biol 2018 Mar;18(1):28. PMC5865361. 10.1186/s12862-018-1144-y. 10.1186/s12862-018-1144-y.

Promiscuous mating and sperm competition often induce arms races between the sexes with detrimental outcomes for females. However, ants with multiply-inseminated queens have only a single time-window for sperm competition and queens are predicted to gain control over the outcome of sperm storage quickly. The seminal fluid of Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants reduces the viability of rival sperm, but how confrontations between unrelated ejaculates affect sperm storage remains unknown.

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