Offspring phenotype is shaped by the non-sperm fraction of semen

In a large majority of animal species, the only contribution of males to the next generation has been assumed to be their genes (sperm). However, along with sperm, seminal plasma contains a wide array of extracellular factors that have many important functions in reproduction. Yet, the potential intergenerational effects of these factors are virtually unknown. We investigated these effects in European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) by experimentally manipulating the presence and identity of seminal plasma and by fertilizing the eggs of multiple females with the manipulated and unmanipulated semen of several males in a full-factorial breeding design. Presence of both own and foreign seminal plasma inhibited sperm motility and removal of own seminal plasma decreased embryo survival. Embryos hatched significantly earlier after both semen manipulations than in control fertilizations; foreign seminal plasma also increased offspring aerobic swimming performance. Given that our experimental d...

在绝大多数动物物种中，学界曾认为雄性对下一代的唯一贡献仅为其提供的遗传物质（精子）。然而，除精子外，精浆（seminal plasma）中还含有大量在生殖过程中发挥关键作用的细胞外因子。但这类因子的潜在跨代效应几乎尚未被探明。我们以欧洲白鲑（Coregonus lavaretus）为实验对象，通过实验操控精浆的存在与否与来源，并采用全因子育种设计（full-factorial breeding design），利用多尾雄性经处理与未处理的精液对多尾雌性的卵子进行受精，以此探究这类因子的效应。实验结果表明：自身精浆与异种精浆的存在均会抑制精子活力（sperm motility）；移除自身精浆会降低胚胎存活率（embryo survival）。相较于对照组受精胚胎，经两种精液操控处理后的胚胎孵化时间均显著提前；异种精浆还可提升子代的有氧游泳能力（aerobic swimming performance）。鉴于本实验的相关实验内容（原文此处截断为experimental d...）