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1 June 2012 Copulatory Plugs of Round-Tailed Ground Squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus)
Karen E Munroe, John L Koprowski
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Abstract

Sperm competition, where sperm from more than one male competes to fertilize eggs within the reproductive tract of a female, is prevalent in mammals. In rodents, this competition often has led to copulatory plugs, a passive defense against further sperm competition. Copulatory plugs have been reported in many species of sciurids; however, not in round-tailed ground squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus). Here we report two observations of copulatory plugs in round-tailed ground squirrels and suggest they represent an indirect form of mate guarding in affording males a chance to seek additional mating opportunities as seen in other species of rodents.

La competencia de esperma, en la que el esperma de múltiples machos compite por fertilizar óvulos en el tracto reproductivo femenino, es común en los mamíferos. En roedores, esta competencia comúnmente ha generado tapones copulativos, la cual es una defensa pasiva contra la posterior competencia de esperma. Los tapones copulativos han sido reportados en varias especies de sciúridos, pero no en las ardillas de cola redonda (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus). Aquí reportamos dos observaciones de tapones copulativos en X. tereticaudus y sugerimos que estos representan una forma indirecta para proteger a la pareja de otros machos y al mismo tiempo brinda a los machos la posibilidad de buscar adicionales oportunidades reproductivas como ha sido observado en otras especies de roedores.

Karen E Munroe and John L Koprowski "Copulatory Plugs of Round-Tailed Ground Squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus)," The Southwestern Naturalist 57(2), 208-210, (1 June 2012). https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-57.2.208
Received: 27 May 2010; Accepted: 1 January 2011; Published: 1 June 2012
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