Intromission (See Eberhard 1985, 2010)
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I Intromission (see Eberhard 1985, 2010). There are notable exceptions of internal fertilization occurring with- Andrew M. Holub and Todd K. Shackelford out the use of intromission, most prominently Department of Psychology, Oakland University, among many avian and reptilian taxa, in which Rochester, MI, USA insemination occurs through transfer of male gametes to female reproductive tract across the cloacae in a process commonly called a “cloacal Synonyms kiss” (e.g., Morrison et al. 2018), which may mimic copulation. The majority of taxa of the Coitus; Copulation; Sexual intercourse order Urodela reproduce via indirect insemina- tion, during which a male drops a spermatophore on an external surface and females may select to Definition insert it through a cloacal opening (e.g., Houck and Arnold 2003). However, intromission is the Intromission is a step of sexual reproduction that most common means of fertilization among ter- involves the insertion of a male intromittent organ restrial animals (Austin 1984). Intromission is into the cavity of a female reproductive organ to ubiquitous throughout the class Mammalia, facilitate insemination and internal fertilization. although in at least one species (Homo sapiens) fertilization has been documented to occur unaided (i.e., without artificial intervention) with- Fertilization through Intromission out intromission (e.g., Achour et al. 2019), although such cases are rare. Intromission is typ- Because sexual reproduction necessitates the ically reproductive in purpose, although non- combination of gametes from two different indi- reproductive sexual behaviors in general viduals, a variety of modalities have evolved (to include intromission) are common especially across taxa to achieve fertilization. Within the among social taxa (e.g., Furuichi et al. 2014). kingdom Animalia, sexual reproduction can be Males and females occupy distinct reproduc- divided into categories according to where fertil- tive niches that result in sex-related differences in ization occurs: internal or external to the body. reproductive traits (see Eberhard 1985, 1996; Among internal fertilizers, males of many taxa Trivers 1972). Many of these adaptations are the have evolved intromittent organs that are result of sexually antagonistic selection or sexual designed to deposit spermatozoa inside the female conflict (Parker 2006; see Dougherty 2017). In reproductive tract, although never directly on ova short, sexual adaptations in one sex often facilitate © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 J. Vonk, T. K. Shackelford (eds.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_346-1 2 Intromission the reproductive interests of individuals of that profile and management difficulties. Psychology sex at the expense of the reproductive or survival Research and Behavior Management, 12, 137–143. Austin, C. R. (1984). Evolution of the copulatory appara- interests of the individuals of the other sex tus. Italian Journal of Zoology, 51, 249–269. (Lessells 2006; cf. Eberhard 2010). Thus, the Brennan, P. L. R. (2016). Studying genital coevolution to behaviors and circumstances surrounding intro- understand intromittent organ morphology. Integrative mission vary widely across taxa, as do the mor- and Comparative Biology, 56, 669–681. Dougherty, L. R. (2017). Sexual antagonism hypothesis. In phologies of sexual organs (see Austin 1984; J. Vonk & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Eberhard 1985, 2010). For example, the animal cognition and behavior. Cham: Springer. hectocotylus of the class Cephalopoda is a limb https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1946-1. that stores and delivers spermatophores to females Eberhard, W. G. (1985). Sexual selection and animal gen- italia. Harvard University Press. by means of insertion (Laptikhovsky and Salman Eberhard, W. G. (1996). Female control: Sexual selection 2003). Similarly, Arachnida males use an append- by cryptic female choice. Princeton University Press. age called a pedipalp, on which a spermatophore Eberhard, W. G. (2010). Evolution of genitalia: Theories, is typically deposited, stored, and eventually evidence, and new directions. Genetica, 138,5–18. Furuichi, T., Connor, R., & Hashimoto, C. (2014). Non- inserted into female reproductive organs conceptive sexual interactions in monkeys, apes, and (Michalik and Ramírez 2014). Pedipalps are not dolphins. In J. Yamagiwa & L. Karczmarski (Eds.), genitalia, but rather an intermediate organ for Primates and cetaceans: Field research and conserva- reproduction with other functions, such as sensa- tion of complex mammalian societies. Springer. Houck, L. D., & Arnold, S. J. (2003). Courtship and mating tion (Talarico et al. 2008). Female reproductive behavior. In D. M. Sever (Ed.), Reproductive biology organs have likely evolved to alter the reproduc- and phylogeny of Urodela (pp. 343–424). Inc: Science tive process, thus driving the evolution of intro- Publishers. mittent organs, although more research is needed Laptikhovsky, V., & Salman, A. (2003). On reproductive strategies of the epipelagic octopods of the superfamily on the morphological variability of female genital Argonautoidea (Cephalopoda: Octopoda). Marine organs in order to better understand this copula- Biology, 142, 321–326. tory coevolution (Brennan 2016). Lessells, C. M. (2006). The evolutionary outcome of sex- ual conflict. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B, 361, 301–217. Michalik, P., & Ramírez, M. J. (2014). Evolutionary mor- Cross-References phology of the male reproductive system, spermatozoa and seminal fluid of spiders (Araneae, Arachnida) – ▶ External Fertilization Current knowledge and future directions. Arthropod – ▶ Structure & Development, 43, 291 322. Gametes Morrison, M. L., Rodewald, A. D., Voelker, G., Colón, ▶ Internal Fertilization M. R., & Prather, J. F. (Eds.). (2018). Ornithology: ▶ Mating Foundation, analysis, and application. Johns Hopkins ▶ Reproduction University Press. ▶ Parker, G. A. (2006). Sexual selection over mating and Sex Role Reversal fertilization: An overview. Philosophical Transactions ▶ Sex-Linked of the Royal Society, B, 361, 235–259. ▶ Sexual Antagonism Hypothesis Talarico, G., Palacios-Vargas, J. G., & Alberti, G. (2008). ▶ Sexual Dimorphism The pedipalp of Pseudocellus pearsei (Ricinulei, – ▶ Arachnida) Ultrastructure of a multifunctional Sperm Competition organ. Arthropod Structure & Development, 37, ▶ Zygote 511–521. Trivers, R. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selec- tion. In B. Campbell (Ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man, 1871–1971 (pp. 136–179). Aldine- References Atherton. Achour, R., Koch, M., Zgueb, Y., Ouali, U., & Hmid, R. B. (2019). Vaginismus and pregnancy: Epidemiological.