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Can I read The evolution of the scrotum: A new hypothesis on EtoBox?
The evolution of the scrotum: A new hypothesis by Scott Freeman is a Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology article available to read on EtoBox.
What is The evolution of the scrotum: A new hypothesis about?
The adaptive significance of the scrotum is unresolved after more than 60 years of debate and experimentation. The "training hypothesis" introduced here suggests that testicular descent is a mechanism for improving sperm quality. The hypothesis proposes that: (1) testicular descent decreases blood supply to maturing sperm cells, (2) sperm mitochondria respond to the resulting oxygen stress by enhancing their enzymatic machinery for oxidative metabolism, as do oxygen-stressed muscle cell mitochondria, and (3) the resulting increase in aerobic fitness of sperm cells is advantageous in inter-ejaculate competition. The hypothesis suggests that there is a quantity-quality trade-off in sperm production, where taxa with internal testes produce large volumes of low-quality sperm while taxa with scrotal testes produce smaller volumes of higher-quality sperm.
Who reads The evolution of the scrotum: A new hypothesis?
It is typically read by researchers, students, and practitioners in Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology.
- Author
- Scott Freeman
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Elsevier Inc.; Elsevier BV (ISSN 0022-5193)
- Published
- 1990
- Language
- EN
- Field
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)