Hybrids produce abnormal spermatozoa

Documentation

Mammalian Hybrids

EUGENE M. MCCARTHY, PHD GENETICS, ΦΒΚ

Reports documenting that hybrids produce morphologically abnormal spermatozoa:

Anonymous. 1979. Sperm production in bison-cattle hybrids. Animal Breeding Abstracts, Vol. 47, No. 5866. The translated title of this foreign language article reads “Sperm production in bison-cattle hybrids.” The abstract reads: Production of spermatozoa was not seen in the testes of 1/2 buffalo-1/2 cattle hybrids, suggesting a defect in early sperm cell differentiation. Animals with 12.5 or 25% bison inheritance showed sperm abnormalities. The results suggest that repeated backcrossing does not always ensure fertility.”

Anonymous. 2007. Anopheline species complexes in south and south-East Asia. World Health Organization. tinyurl.com/yd2bk55r

Basrur, P. K. 1969. Hybrid sterility. In: K. Benirschke (ed.), Comparative mammalian cytogenetics, pp. 107-131. New York: Springer Verlag.

Chandley, A. C., Jones, R. C., McBeath, S., Allen, W. R. 1974. Meiosis in interspecific equine hybrids. I. The male mule (Equus asinus × E. caballus) and hinny (E. caballus × E. asinus). Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics, 13: 330-341.

Döring, L., Gropp, A., Tettenborn, V. 1972. DNA content and morphological properties of presumably aneuploid spermatozoa of tobacco mouse hybrids. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, 30:335-346. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0300335

Fedyk, S., Krasinska, M. 1980. Bisoniana. 75. Spermatogenesis in backcross generations of European bison and domestic cattle hybrids. Acta Theriologica, 25: 201-212. tinyurl.com/ybyq65b7

Guyer, M. F. 1900. Spermatogenesis of normal and of hybrid pigeons. Dissertation, University of Chicago. tinyurl.com/y7labgp9

Guyer, M. F. 1902. Hybridism and the germ-cell. University of Cincinnati, Bulletin no. 21. tinyurl.com/ybcnztas

Guyer, M. F. 1912. Modifications in the testes of hybrids from the guinea and the common fowl. Journal of Morphology (Boston), 23: 45-59.

Hamaguchi, S., Sakaizumi, M. 1992. Sexually differentiated mechanisms of sterility in interspecific hybrids between Oryzias latipes and O. curvinotus. Journal of Experimental Zoology, 263: 323-329. https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402630312

Heidenreich, M., Kuspert, H. 1992. Metodos de la reproduccion en cautividad de las diferentes especies de halcones. El problema de los hibridos y la cooperacion entre criadores y autoridades. Proc. Cong. Nac. Criadores de Aves de Cetrería, 1:15-17.

Ishishita, S., Tsuboi, K., Ohishi, N., Tsuchiya, K., Matsuda, Y. 2015. Abnormal pairing of X and Y sex chromosomes during meiosis I in interspecific hybrids of Phodopus campbelli and P. sungorus. Scientific Reports, 5, 9435. http://doi.org/10.1038/srep09435

LaChance, L. E. 1984. Hybrid sterility: Eupyrene sperm production and abnormalities in the backcross generations of interspecific hybrids between Heliothis subflexa and Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 77:93-101.

McCool, C. J. 1990. Spermatogenesis in Bali cattle (Bos sondaicus) and hybrids with Bos indicus and Bos taurus. Research in Veterinary Science, 48:288-294.

Abstract for McCool (1990): "Semen quality, testis size and efficiency of sperm production in Bali cattle (Bos sondaicus) and hybrids with Bos indicus and Bos taurus were determined. Mean (+/- SEM) daily sperm production per gram of testis parenchyma (DSPG) in six purebred Bali bulls was 12.2 +/- 0.7 x 10(6). F1 B sondaicus cross B taurus bulls and F1 B sondaicus cross B indicus bulls were sterile. Spermatogenesis was arrested at the late primary spermatocyte stage. In 11 B sondaicus cross B indicus crosses, mean DSPG was lower than in the purebred B sondaicus, although four (one 1/4 B sondaicus, one 3/4 B sondaicus, one 5/8 B sondaicus inter se and one 3/8 B sondaicus inter se) exhibited DSPG levels similar to the foundation stock. Semen from those crossbreeds which exhibited complete spermatogenesis was more variable in terms of spermatozoal concentration, percentage of spermatozoa exhibiting progressive motility and levels of spermatozoal abnormalities. In crossbreeds where sperm production was reduced or absent, there was seminiferous epithelial dysfunction, manifested as an increased frequency of degenerative late pachytene and diplotene primary spermatocytes and germinal cells occurring later in the cycle, or in extreme cases, as complete arrest of spermatogenesis at the late primary spermatocyte stage."

Park, J. Y., Kim, I. S. Ko, M. H. 2011. Characteristics of rare males in the cobitid unisexual complex, Cobitis hankugensis-Iksookimia longicorpa. Folia Zoologica 60: 290–294. tinyurl.com/y73sv833

Podevin, M. 2011. Sperm morphology and reproductive isolation in Ficedula flycatchers. Masters Thesis, Uppsala University. tinyurl.com/yclvvee8

Röll, B., von Düring, M. 2008. Sexual characteristics and spermatogenesis in males of the parthenogenetic gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia, Gekkonidae). Zoology, 111:385-400. 10.1016/j.zool.2007.09.004.

Santiago-Moreno, J. et al. 2016. Recent advances in bird sperm morphometric analysis and its role in male gamete characterization and reproduction technologies. Asian Journal of Andrology, 18: 882-888. 10.4103/1008-682X.188660

Shrigley, E. W. 1938. Qualitative and quantitative differences in the morphology of spermatozoa from members of two dove species, and from their F₁ and backcross hybrids. Genetics, 23: 166.

Shrigley, E. W. 1940. Qualitative and quantitative differences in the morphology of spermatozoa from Ring Doves, Pearlnecks, and their F₁ and backcross hybrids. The Journal of Experimental Zoology, 83: 457-479.

Smith, G. 1912. Studies in the experimental analysis of sex. Part 9. On spermatogenesis and the formation of giant spermatozoa in hybrid pigeons. Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, 58: 159-170. tinyurl.com/yb79l9rf

Smith, G., Thomas, R. H. 1913. On sterile and hybrid pheasants. Journal of Genetics, 3: 39-52.

Spangenberg, V., Arakelyan, M., Galoyan, E., Matveevsky, S., Petrosyan, R., Bogdanov, Y., Danielyan, F., Kolomiets, O. 2017. Reticulate evolution of the rock lizards: Meiotic chromosome dynamics and spermatogenesis in diploid and triploid males of the genus Darevskia. Genes, 8:149 doi: 10.3390/genes8060149.

Spangenburg et al. 2017 cite Darevsky et al (1977) for reporting morphologically abnormal sperm in hybrids:

Darevsky, I.S.; Kupriyanova, L.A.; Bakradze, M.A. Residual bisexuality in parthenogenetic species of lizards of the Lacerta genus. Zhurnal Obshchei Biol., 1977, 38, 772–780. (In Russian)

Stolla, R. , Gropp, A. 1974. Variation of the DNA content of morphologically normal and abnormal spermatozoa in mice susceptible to irregular meiotic segregation. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, 38:335-346. tinyurl.com/y8fpyax8

Swan, M. A., Christidis, L.1987. Impaired spermatogenesis in the finch hybrid L. castaneothorax by L. punctulata: Transmission electron microscopy and genetic analysis. Gamete Research, 17: 157-171.

Vasil'ev, V. P., Akimova, N. V., Emel’yanova, N. G., Pavlov, D. A., Vasil’eva, E. D. 2003. Reproductive capacities in the polyploid males of spined loaches from the unisexual-bisexual complex, occurred in the Moscow River. Folia biologica, 51 (Suppl.): 67-73. tinyurl.com/y7u3o8bx

Wishart, W. D., Hrudka, F. Schmutz, S. M, Flood, P. F. 1988. Observations on spermatogenesis, sperm phenotype, and fertility in white-tailed X mule deer hybrids and a yak X cow hybrid. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 66:1664-1671.

Xiao-Lin Luo, Hai-Feng Song & Jiu-Qiang Guan 2014. Investigation on mechanism of sterility of male hybrids between yak and cattle, Journal of Applied Animal Research, 42:4, 395-399, DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2013.875907

Xiao-Lin Luo et. al. (2014) say:

Jia (2001) reported that in F1 male hybrid sperm producing function had been totally destroyed with no sperm in semen; F2 male hybrid had recovered its sperm producing function to some degree and occasionally found a few dead sperm in semen, but most of the live ones were in pathological condition; F3 male hybrid had greatly increased its fertility and could produce some sperm with normal morphology; almost all of F4 male hybrids had recovered the function in sperm production.

Jia R-L. 2001. Comparative histologic studies on testes in yak and first to third filial generation by yak and cattle. Sichuan Anim Vet Sci. 10:14.

Yamashina, Y. 1941a. [Studies on sterility in hybrid birds. II. Histological studies of the reproductive organs in species hybrids in Columbidae]. Idengaku zasshi, 17: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1266/jjg.17.1

Yamashina, Y. 1943. [Studies on sterility in hybrid birds. IV. Cytological researches on hybrids in the family Phasianidae]. Journal of the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, 6th Ser., (Zoology), 8: 307-386. (Translated in Austin, O. L., Hachisuka, M., Takashima, M., Kuroda, N. 1948. Japanese ornithology and mammalogy during World War II. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior. tinyurl.com/y7tok3tf: “In the testes of the hybrid between the copper pheasant and the golden pheasant the majority of the germ cells form the metaphase spindle of the first meiotic division, while some degenerate and fail to complete the second meiotic division. A few pass through the second division, most of them forming abnormally shaped spermatozoa. Only a few develop into normal spermatozoa, thus indicating the partial fertility of the male.”)

Zhang, R. C., Duan, L. C 1991. [A study on the sperm production of hybrids of yaks and cattle.] Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica, 22:231–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-015-0939-7
Abstract for Zhang and Duan: "F1 male hybrids of yaks (Bos grunniens) and cattle (Bos taurus) are infertile. WhenF1 female hybrids were repeatedly backcrossed to cattle, normal-shaped spermatozoa were present in male progeny after the 3rd generation, and spermatogenesis increased with further generations of backcrossing."

Zhao, Y. et al. 2016. Non-motile tetraploid spermatozoa of Misgurnus loach hybrids. Fisheries Science, 82:127–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-015-0939-7

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