有關(guān)精子之間的競爭和合作都已有很多研究,，但不同精子是否能將它們應(yīng)當與之合作的“親兄弟”跟它們不應(yīng)與之合作的“非親兄弟”區(qū)分開來？
Heidi Fisher 和 Hopi Hoekstra發(fā)現(xiàn),，當兩個種的鹿鼠的精子相混時,，它們優(yōu)先與來自其自己所屬種的精子聚集。當同一個種的不同個體混在一起時,，來自單配（即一雌一雄）種的精子不區(qū)分“親兄弟”與“非親兄弟”,，而來自混交種的精子則進行這種區(qū)分。（生物谷Bioon.com）
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生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature doi:10.1038/nature08736;
Competition drives cooperation among closely related sperm of deer mice
Heidi S. Fisher1,2 & Hopi E. Hoekstra1,2
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology,Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
Among the extraordinary adaptations driven by sperm competition is the cooperative behaviour of spermatozoa1. By forming cooperative groups, sperm can increase their swimming velocity and thereby gain an advantage in intermale sperm competition1, 2. Accordingly, selection should favour cooperation of the most closely related sperm to maximize fitness3. Here we show that sperm of deer mice (genus Peromyscus) form motile aggregations, then we use this system to test predictions of sperm cooperation. We find that sperm aggregate more often with conspecific than heterospecific sperm, suggesting that individual sperm can discriminate on the basis of genetic relatedness. Next, we provide evidence that the cooperative behaviour of closely related sperm is driven by sperm competition. In a monogamous species lacking sperm competition, Peromyscus polionotus, sperm indiscriminately group with unrelated conspecific sperm. In contrast, in the highly promiscuous deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, sperm are significantly more likely to aggregate with those obtained from the same male than with sperm from an unrelated conspecific donor. Even when we test sperm from sibling males, we continue to see preferential aggregations of related sperm in P. maniculatus. These results suggest that sperm from promiscuous deer mice discriminate among relatives and thereby cooperate with the most closely related sperm, an adaptation likely to have been driven by sperm competition.
