Fertilization potential of cold-stored Fowler’s toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) spermatozoa: temporal changes in sperm motility based on temperature and osmolality
Lucia Arregui
A C , Andy J. Kouba B C , Jennifer M. Germano C D , Laura Barrios E , Marian Moore C and Carrie K. Kouba F *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain.
B Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
C Conservation and Research Department, Memphis Zoological Society, Memphis, TN 38112, USA.
D New Zealand Department of Conservation, Hamilton, New Zealand.
E Department of Statistics, CTI, Consejo Superior Investigaciones Científicas, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
F Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 34(5) 461-469 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD21037
Published online: 1 November 2021
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Asynchrony of gamete release is problematic in amphibian captive breeding programs but can be overcome by short-term storage of spermatozoa. Hormonally induced sperm from the model species Anaxyrus fowleri were used to determine storage conditions for optimal fertilisation capacity. Sperm motility was measured over time, as a function of storage temperature (4°C or 22°C) and solution osmolality (7–40 mOsm/kg). Sperm at 40 mOsm/kg (spermic urine) stored at 4°C exhibited higher motility compared to 22°C. Also, sperm stored at 40 mOsm/kg retained higher motility compared to sperm stored below 15 mOsm/kg at both temperatures. Under optimal storage conditions (40 mOsm and 4°C) a 30% decrease in sperm motility occurred within 24 h, however, subsequent loss of sperm motility was lower (<10%/day) for days 2–8 thereafter. Sperm samples stored for 1–8 days under optimal conditions were tested for fertilising capacity by conducting in vitro fertilisation trials. Sperm stored for 8 days yielded 48% neurula development, similar to sperm stored for 1 day, which produced 60% neurula development. Overall, sperm stored for up to 8 days at 4°C as spermic urine retained fertilising capacity and thus can be used to circumvent asynchronous gamete release in assisted breeding efforts for amphibians.
Keywords: amphibian, anuran, bufonid, captive breeding, embryo, human chorionic gonadotrophin, in vitro fertilisation, reproduction.
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