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Spermatophore Formation and Transfer in the Freshwater Flatworm

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Spermatophore Formation and Transfer in the Freshwater Flatworm Spermatophore Formation and Transfer in the Freshwater Flatworm Dugesia gonocephala (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Paludicola) Author(s): Carla Vreys, Natascha Steffanie and Hugo Gevaerts Source: Invertebrate Biology, Vol. 118, No. 1 (Winter, 1999), pp. 24-34 Published by: Wiley on behalf of American Microscopical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3226909 . Accessed: 17/06/2014 18:40 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Wiley and American Microscopical Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Invertebrate Biology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 62.122.77.48 on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 18:40:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Invertebrate Biology 118(1): 24-34. C 1999 American Microscopical Society, Inc. Spermatophore formation and transfer in the freshwater flatworm Dugesia gonocephala (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Paludicola) Carla Vreys,a Natascha Steffanie, and Hugo Gevaerts Zoology ResearchGroup, Limburgs Universitair Centrum, B-3590 Diepenbeek,Belgium Abstract. Before copulation in Dugesia gonocephala, eosinophilic secretions of glands in the penis diaphragm and in the most proximal part of the ejaculatory duct accumulate in the funnel-shaped part of the ejaculatory duct and cohere to form a sclerotized, tubular structure, sealed at the distal end and covered internally with secretions of glands at the tip of the diaphragm conus. The elongating tube fills with a mixture of sperms, released in small clusters from both sperm ducts, and two types of seminal secretions produced by gland cells of the seminal vesicle. This causes the sealed end of the tube to inflate, forming a spherical, stalked bladder. As copulation begins, each mating partner inserts its penis with the protruding spermatophore into the vaginal area of the bursal canal of the partner.Penis insertion causes the penis papilla to elongate, the diaphragm conus to invert, and the seminal vesicle to expand. The latter is filled with a loosely packed substance. The increase in surface area is probably facilitated by the presence of epithelial cells with an expandable apical end. The spermatophorebladder expands to its full size during copulation as large amounts of sperms and seminal secretions are released into it. Filling of the spermatophore ends with the transfer of the spermatophoreinto the partner'sbursa. No additional sperms or seminal secretions are transferredafter spermatophoreexchange is completed. Spermatophoretransfer caus- es the lumen of the seminal vesicle to collapse and the diaphragm to regain its conical shape, suggesting that the seminal vesicle functions as a kind of mechanical pump. Additionalkey words: Turbellaria,planarian, simultaneous hermaphrodite, penis The rapid evolution of animal genitalia, particularly sperm competition (male-male competition on the level those of the male system, is a well-known phenomenon of ejaculates; see Parker 1970). Arnqvist (1998) found in the animal kingdom. Several hypotheses have been compelling evidence for the evolution of genitalia by put forth to explain this tremendous variation in genital sexual selection in insects. Profound morphological and traits. The pleiotropy hypothesis states that a single functional studies are needed in order to further distin- gene may code for developmental processes in different guish between these hypotheses. parts of the body, affecting both genital and general Turbellarians, or free-living flatworms, are (with morphology. Genital diversification may therefore just few exceptions) hermaphroditic, practicing cross-fer- be a side-effect of natural selection favoring traits un- tilization with reciprocal sperm transfer. Fertilization related to reproduction (Ridley 1996; Amqvist 1997). is internal. The genitalia are usually of great complex- The evolution of animal genitalia may also be explained ity, consisting of a protrusible penis or eversible cirrus, by the lock-and-key hypothesis, in that female genitalia either of which may be armed with spines or thorns, are "locks" that allow access only to the appropriate and various accessory glands and vesicles for storing male so "keys," preventing heterospecific matings sperms (Hyman 1951). The function of these morpho- & Porter evidence for this (Shapiro 1989). Empirical logically well-described organs is poorly understood: is weak et al. 1995; (popular) hypothesis (Proctor e.g., what is the function of the musculo-glandular, pe- 1997, Recent studies the com- Arnqvist 1998). explain nis-like organs, usually called adenodactyles, com- plexity of animal genitalia by focusing on processes of monly found in freshwater triclads? Hyman (1951) hy- sexual selection, including phenomena such as cryptic pothesized that they are sexual stimulators, perhaps to female choice (females exerting post-intromission phys- induce the partner to donate sperms (Michiels 1998), iological control over paternity; see Eberhard 1996) and but empirical evidence is lacking. In fact, only a few studies deal with the functional a Author for correspondence.E-mail: [email protected] morphology of the male genital organs of freshwater This content downloaded from 62.122.77.48 on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 18:40:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Spermatophore formation and transfer in Dugesia gonocephala 25 Fig. 2. Schematic sagittal view of the copulatoryorgans of the hermaphroditicflatworm Dugesia gonocephala. Atrium (a); bursa (b); bursal canal (bc); diaphragmconus (d); ejac- ulatory duct (ed); common ventral gonopore (g); muscular ridge (mr);penis bulbus (pb); circularpenial fold (pf); penis papilla (pp); sperm duct (sd); spermatophore(sph); seminal vesicle (sv). In this study we provide detailed information on the formation and transfer of the spermatophore of the pla- narian Dugesia gonocephala (DUGES 1830), using light microscopical and ultrastructural data. "Free" sperm transfer, as shown in the classical drawing of D. gon- ocephala by Burr (1928), is absent from our study population. In D. gonocephala every copulation is pre- ceded by prolonged courtship behavior during which a spermatophore bladder inflates at the tip of the penis, expanding to its full size during copulation, as it fills Fig. 1. Schematic dorsal view of the genital system of the with semen. Filling of the spermatophores ends 3 to hermaphroditicflatworm Dugesia gonocephala.Genital atri- 4.5 h after the start of copulation, when first one part- um (a); bursacopulatrix (b); bursalcanal (bc); common ven- ner, then the other finishes ejaculation and completes tral gonopore (g); ovary (o); oviduct (od); penis (p); sperm spermatophore transfer (Vreys et al. 1997a). The trans- duct seminal testis (sd); spermatophore(sph); receptacle(sr); ferred spermatophores contain equal amounts (by vol- follicle (tf); vitellarianfollicle (vf). ume) of sperms (Vreys & Michiels 1998). When one or both partners have no spermatophore in the penis, triclads, including the work of Fischlschweiger (1990, as in 15% of the examined copulations, spermatophore 1992) on the planarian Girardia (= Dugesia) tigrina transfer is unilateral or does not occur (Vreys et al. (GIRARD1850). In this species, sperms and secretory 1997a,b). During the days following copulation, products accumulate in the lumen of the penis bulbus sperms migrate from the spermatophore in the bursa (= seminal vesicle) before copulation, and the result- to the seminal receptacles near the ovaries. The adap- ing sperm mass is released into the bursa of the partner tive significance of the spermatophore may lie in its through the ejaculatory duct of the elongated penis pa- ability to protect migrating sperms from being digested pilla during copulation. This suggests that the seminal by the bursal cells (Vreys et al. 1997a,c). Post-copula vesicle of planarians might function as a kind of sperm sperm digestion is a widespread phenomenon in storage organ. The exchange of spermatophores, an- free-living flatworms (Hyman 1951). other common mode of sperm transfer in freshwater triclads (Sluys 1989), is scarcely documented. Infor- Methods mation on this subject is usually limited to the fact that Study organism the spermatophore wall is formed by penial gland se- cretions (Weiss 1910; Sluys 1989, 1997; Sluys & Roh- Dugesia gonocephala is found under stones in de 1991). small, shallow streams throughout continental Europe. This content downloaded from 62.122.77.48 on Tue, 17 Jun 2014 18:40:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 26 Vreys, Steffanie, & Gevaerts Figs. 3, 4. Penis of unmated worm. Frontal sections. LM. Scale bars, 100 rim. Fig. 3. Penis with unexpandedseminal vesicle, diaphragmconus extendinginto ejaculatoryduct, and circularfold at the base, filling most of the atrialcavity. The posteriorpart of the sperm duct on the left containsclusters of sperms.A slightly inflatedtube, filled with seminal material, is present in the posteriorpart of the ejaculatoryduct. Atrium (a); diaphragmconus (d); ejaculatoryduct (ed); penial fold (pf); penis papilla (pp); sperm duct (sd); seminal material(sm);
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