Male sperm storage impairs sperm quality in the zebrafish

Variation in sperm traits is widely documented both at inter- and intraspecific level. However, sperm traits vary also between ejaculates of the same male, due for example, to fluctuations in female availability. Variability in the opportunities to mate can indeed have important consequences for sperm traits, as it determines how often sperm are used, and thus the rate at which they are produced and how long they are stored before the mating. While being stored within males’ bodies, sperm are subjected to ageing due to oxidative stress. Sperm storage may significantly impair sperm quality, but evidence linking male sperm storage and variation in sperm traits is still scarce. Here, we tested the effect of the duration of sperm storage on within-male variation in sperm traits in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. We found that without mating opportunities, sperm number increased as storage duration increased, indicating that sperm continue to be produced and accumulate over time within males without being discharged in another way. Long sperm storage (12 days) was associated with an overall impairment in sperm quality, namely sperm motility, sperm longevity, and sperm DNA fragmentation, indicating that sperm aged, and their quality declined during storage. Our results confirm that male sperm storage may generate substantial variation in sperm phenotype, a source of variation which is usually neglected but that should be accounted for in experimental protocols aiming to assay sperm traits or maximise fertilization success.