23
September 2004
Something in the heir
Females in most mammalian species are sexually promiscuous, so they will copulate with two or more males during the same period of oestrus. The sperm of those males then compete within the female reproductive tract to fertilize eggs. A study in meadow voles now shows that male mammals can increase the number of sperm they allocate in a female after detecting the odours of another male. By increasing sperm numbers, a male increases the chances of overcoming the sperm of other males, thus fertilizing more eggs.
Male mammals respond to a risk of sperm competition
conveyed by odours of conspecific males
JAVIER DELBARCO-TRILLO & MICHAEL H. FERKIN
Nature 431, 446–449 (2004); doi:10.1038/nature02845
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