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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Paternal age negatively affects sperm production of the progeny.
Gabriele SorciGwènaëlle LevêqueFrédéric LacroixMichel Saint JalmeYves HingratLoïc LesobrePauline Vuarinsubject
0106 biological sciencesMaleAgingOffspring010603 evolutionary biology01 natural sciencesPaternal Age[SDV.BDLR.RS]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Reproductive Biology/Sexual reproductionejaculate qualityBirdsReproductive senescencereproductive senescence[SDV.BA.ZV]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Vertebrate ZoologyAnimalsBustardEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematicsreproductive and urinary physiologybiologyReproductive successEcology010604 marine biology & hydrobiologyReproductionbiology.organism_classificationSpermSpermatozoamale gametesAgeingSexual selectionpost copulatory sexual selectionSpermatogenesisDemographyoffspring phenotypedescription
International audience; Parental age has profound consequences for offspring’s phenotype. However, whether patrilineal age affects offspring sperm production remains unknown, despite the importance of sperm production for male reproductive success in species facing post-copulatory sexual selection. Using a longitudinal dataset on ejaculate attributes of the houbara bustard, we showed that offspring sired by old fathers had different age-dependent trajectories of sperm production compared to offspring sired by young fathers. Specifically, they produced less sperm (−48%) in their first year of life, and 14% less during their lifetime. Paternal age had the strongest effect, with weak evidence for grandpaternal or great grandpaternal age effects. These results show that paternal age can affect offspring reproductive success by reducing sperm production, establishing an intergenerational link between ageing and sexual selection.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-01 | Ecology lettersReferences |