1. Selfish genetic elements and male fertility.
- Author
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Verspoor, Rudi L., Price, Tom A. R., and Wedell, Nina
- Subjects
- *
FERTILITY , *SPERM competition , *ANIMAL offspring sex ratio , *SEX ratio , *MEIOTIC drive , *SPERMATOZOA - Abstract
Selfish genetic elements (SGEs) are diverse and near ubiquitous in Eukaryotes and can be potent drivers of evolution. Here, we discuss SGEs that specifically acton sperm to gain a transmission advantage to the next generation. The diverse SGEs that affect sperm often impose costs on carrier males, including damaging ejaculates, skewing offspring sex ratios and in particular reducing sperm-competitive success of SGE-carrying males. How males and females tolerate and mitigate against these costs is a dynamic and expanding area of research. The intense intra-genomic conflict that these selfish elements generate could also have implications for male fertility and spermatogenesis more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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