EVOSPERM

Sexual selection and the evolutionary biology of spermatogenesis

Coordinatore	UNIVERSITAET BASEL    more  Organization address address: Petersplatz 1 city: BASEL postcode: 4003 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Lukas Cognome: Schärer Email: send email Telefono: +41 61 267 03 66 Fax: +41 61 267 03 62
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Switzerland [CH]
Totale costo	180˙970 €
EC contributo	180˙970 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF
Funding Scheme	MC-IEF
Anno di inizio	2010
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2010-04-01   -   2012-03-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	UNIVERSITAET BASEL  Organization address address: Petersplatz 1 city: BASEL postcode: 4003 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Lukas Cognome: Schärer Email: send email Telefono: +41 61 267 03 66 Fax: +41 61 267 03 62	CH (BASEL)	coordinator	180˙970.80

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Spermatogenesis is of fundamental importance to reproduction and fertility, yet several of its features remain enigmatic. Why, for example, do sperm display such extraordinary morphological diversity, when their basic function differs little from one species to another? And why are sperm produced in such large quantities, vastly exceeding the number of eggs produced by females? Sexual selection, the evolutionary force proposed by Charles Darwin 150 years ago, provides the most promising framework to answer these questions. We now recognize sexual selection can modify traits such as sperm morphology and sperm numbers whenever these enhance male fertilization success in competition with other males. However, there remain significant barriers to our understanding of how these traits evolve, because we know very little about either their genetic architecture or about how selection on sperm morphology or sperm numbers impacts on the machinery of spermatogenesis. To transform our understanding in these areas, we will use the highly amenable Macrostomum flatworms as a model to understand sperm evolution. First, we will conduct a quantitative genetic analysis in M. lignano of sperm morphology and numbers, plus a broad suite of additional male and female traits that are likely to affect sperm evolution. We will assess (a) genetic variation in and correlations between these traits and (b) the genetics of phenotypic plasticity in each trait. Second, we will apply immunocytochemical techniques to explore variation in the kinetics of spermatogenesis over both ecological and evolutionary timescales. We will test for (a) phenotypic plasticity; (b) genetic variation between inbred lines; and (c) divergence between related Macrostomum species with radically different sperm production requirements. Establishing how sexual selection shapes the complex machinery and products of spermatogenesis will provide widely applicable insights into the evolutionary biology of reproduction.'