000K  utf8
1100  $c2020
1500  eng
2050  urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2023-00366-4
2051  10.1007/s00114-020-01706-w
3000  Matsumura, Yoko
3010  Gorb, Stanislav
3010  Jafarpour, Mohsen
3010  Rajabi Jorshari, Hamed
3010  Ramm, Steven A
3010  Reinhold, Klaus
4000  Material heterogeneity of male genitalia reduces genital damage in a bushcricket during sperm removal behaviour  [Matsumura, Yoko]
4209  Sperm removal behaviour (SRB) is known in many animals, and male genital structures are often involved in the SRB, e.g. rubbing female genitalia vigorously. However, it remains unclear how those male genital structures function properly without severe genital damage during SRB. In the present study, we focused on the bushcricket Metaplastes ornatus and examined the biomechanics of male and female genital structures, involved in their SRB as a model case. During an initial phase of mating, males of this species thrust their subgenital plate with hook-like spurs and many microscopic spines into the female genital chamber. By moving the subgenital plate back-and-forth, males stimulate females, and this stimulation induces the ejection of sperm previously stored in females. We aimed to uncover the mechanics of the interaction between the subgenital plate and genital chamber during SRB. The genital morphology and its material composition were investigated using modern imaging and microscopy techniques. The obtained results showed a pronounced material heterogeneity in the subgenital plate and the genital chamber. The material heterogeneity was completely absent in that of a second bushcricket species, Poecilimon veluchianus, which does not exhibit SRB. Finite element simulations showed that the specific material heterogeneity can redistribute the stress in the subgenital plate of M. ornatus and, thereby, reduces stress concentration during SRB. This may explain why only a few examined males had a broken spur. We suggest that the observed structural features and material heterogeneity in M. ornatus are adaptations to their SRB.
4950  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-020-01706-w$xR$3Volltext$534
4950  https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:8:3-2023-00366-4$xR$3Volltext$534
4961  https://macau.uni-kiel.de/receive/macau_mods_00003687
5051  333.7
5051  590
5550  Animals
5550  Confocal laser scanning microscopy
5550  Cuticle
5550  Durability
5550  Female
5550  Finite Element Modelling
5550  Genital Coupling
5550  Genitalia, Female
5550  Genitalia, Male
5550  Male
5550  Material Heterogeneity
5550  Orthoptera
5550  Sexual Behavior, Animal