Sperm activation in acorn barnacles by elevation of seawater pH

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  2. Dr Gary Caldwell
  3. Professor Tony Clare
Author(s)Wright S, Caldwell GS, Clare AS
Publication type Article
JournalInvertebrate Reproduction and Development
Year2012
Volume56
Issue1
Pages79-85
ISSN (print)0792-4259
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The sperm of most barnacle species show negligible motility unless exposed to oviducal gland fluid; a secretion associated with oviposition. Artificial activation has previously been induced in Semibalanus balanoides by elevating seawater pH using an ammonia buffer. To date, the information pertaining to barnacle sperm biology is rather limited. Current work has investigated the activation of vesicular sperm from three species of acorn barnacle in response to the elevation of seawater pH using alkaline buffers; either sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or ammonium (NH4+). Elevation of seawater pH was observed to increase activation success, particularly for Balanus amphitrite and Elminius modestus. In all cases there was a high degree of variability in the data. A median value of 20% sperm activation (mean±SE = 20.65±4.86%) was determined for E. modestus at pH 9 (NH4+). The lowest activation success was observed in S. balanoides which displayed maximal median activation of 1.79% at pH 8.4 (NaOH) (mean±SE = 1.93±0.44%). B. amphitrite and E. modestus showed greatest activation in seawater buffered with NH4+. This is the first study to artificially activate E. modestus and B. amphitrite sperm.
PublisherBalaban Publishers, International Science Services
URLhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07924259.2011.614123
DOI10.1080/07924259.2011.614123
NotesProceedings of the 12th International Congress on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development (ICIRD), Prague, Czech Republic, August 16-20, 2010
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