| Author(s): |
Introini, Gisele Orlandi
[1]
;
da Cunha, Alexandre Lobo
[2]
;
da Silva Leite Sousa, Mario Manuel
[2, 3]
;
Reeco-Pimentel, Shirlei M.
[1]
Total Authors: 4
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Dept Anat Biol Celular & Fisiol, BR-13083863 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Porto, Inst Ciencias Biomed Abel Salazar, Lab Biol Celular, P-4099003 Oporto - Portugal
[3] Ctr Genet Reprod Prof Alberto Barros, P-4100009 Oporto - Portugal
Total Affiliations: 3
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | NAUTILUS; v. 123, n. 4, p. 293-302, DEC 23 2009. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 0 |
| Abstract | |
We compared the ultrastructure of spermatozoa from the bivalves Anomalocardia brasiliana and Tivela mactroides (Veneridae). The spermatozoa of both species were of the ectaquasperm type in which the head contains it curved nucleus with a short cone-shaped acrosome. An invagination penetrated almost the entire length of the acrosome. The midpiece contained a pair of orthogonally arranged centrioles surrounded by spherical mitochondria and the flagellum had the typical 9 + 2 structure. The spermatozoa of A. brasiliana had a slightly curved nucleus while those of T. mactroides had a long, prominently curved nucleus. The mitochondria were equally distributed around the centrioles in the midpiece, of A. brasiliana spermatozoa, but asymmetrically in the midpiece of T mactroides spermatozoa. There were six mitochondria and glycogen Clusters in the middle piece of the T. mactroides spermatozoon. The presence of glycogen clusters and the higher number of mitochondria, in comparison with Anomalocardia brasiliana, could extend the longevity of the Tivela mactroides spermatozoa. An increase in sperm life expectancy implies in art increase in the probability of finding eggs and accomplishing fertilization. The glycogen clusters and the higher mitochondria number possibly correspond to all adaptive advantage to the bivalves in turbulent waters. (AU) | |