title: Paternal levels of DNA damage in spermatozoa and maternal parity influence offspring mortality in an endangered ungulate.
abstract: Understanding which factors influence offspring mortality rates is a major challenge since it influences population dynamics and may constrain the chances of recovery among endangered species. Most studies have focused on the effects of maternal and environmental factors, but little is known about paternal factors. Among most polygynous mammals, males only contribute the haploid genome to their offspring, but the possibility that sperm DNA integrity may influence offspring survival has not been explored. We examined several maternal, paternal and individual factors that may influence offspring survival in an endangered species (Gazella cuvieri). Levels of sperm DNA damage had the largest impact upon offspring mortality rates, followed by maternal parity. In addition, there was a significant interaction between these two variables, so that offspring born to primiparous mothers were more likely to die if their father had high levels of sperm DNA damage, but this was not the case among multiparous mothers. Thus, multiparous mothers seem to protect their offspring from the deleterious effects of sperm DNA damage. Since levels of sperm DNA damage seem to be higher among endangered species, more attention should be paid to the impact of this largely ignored factor among the viability of endangered species.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Ecology and Biology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ruiz-López
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Espeso
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Evenson
authors.forename: Eduardo R S
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Roldan
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gomendio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004249:DNA Damage; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D056727:Endangered Species; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012418:Ruminants / Q000235:genetics*; D013094:Spermatozoa
references.citation: Mutat Res. 1996 Apr 13;351(2):199-203
references.pmid: 8622715
references.citation: J Androl. 2006 Mar-Apr;27(2):176-88
references.pmid: 16304212
references.citation: Cell Tissue Res. 2005 Oct;322(1):33-41
references.pmid: 15912407
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jun 20;103(25):9601-6
references.pmid: 16766665
references.citation: Fertil Steril. 2008 Aug;90(2):352-9
references.pmid: 17904130
references.citation: Theriogenology. 1997 May;47(7):1433-43
references.pmid: 16728089
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2000 May 7;267(1446):875-82
references.pmid: 10853729
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 1998 Feb 7;265(1392):243-8
references.pmid: 9493409
references.citation: Fertil Steril. 2003 Dec;80(6):1420-30
references.pmid: 14667878
references.citation: Nature. 2004 Nov 4;432(7013):48-52
references.pmid: 15525979
references.citation: Biol Reprod. 2001 Jun;64(6):1761-8
references.pmid: 11369606
references.citation: Science. 1979 Nov 30;206(4422):1101-3
references.pmid: 493997
references.citation: Reproduction. 2001 Oct;122(4):497-506
references.pmid: 11570956
references.citation: Evolution. 1999 Dec;53(6):1951-1960
references.pmid: 28565463
references.citation: Biol Reprod. 2005 Aug;73(2):289-96
references.pmid: 15772260
references.citation: J Natl Cancer Inst. 1997 Feb 5;89(3):238-44
references.pmid: 9017004
references.citation: Mol Ecol. 2009 Apr;18(7):1352-64
references.pmid: 19368643
references.citation: Biol Reprod. 2003 Aug;69(2):602-11
references.pmid: 12700201
references.citation: Biol Lett. 2009 Oct 23;5(5):663-6
references.pmid: 19493877
references.citation: J Reprod Fertil. 1989 Nov;87(2):529-42
references.pmid: 2600908
references.citation: Hum Reprod. 2006 Sep;21(9):2228-37
references.pmid: 16790612
references.citation: Int J Androl. 2009 Feb;32(1):46-56
references.pmid: 19076252
references.citation: Soc Reprod Fertil Suppl. 2007;65:93-113
references.pmid: 17644957
references.citation: J Reprod Fertil. 1978 Nov;54(2):325-34
references.pmid: 569204
references.citation: Hum Reprod. 2008 Dec;23(12):2663-8
references.pmid: 18757447
references.citation: Mol Cell Biol. 2002 Apr;22(7):2220-8
references.pmid: 11884608
references.citation: Hum Reprod. 2008 Jun;23(6):1297-305
references.pmid: 18375939
references.citation: Theriogenology. 2006 Mar 15;65(5):979-91
references.pmid: 16242181
references.citation: Anim Reprod Sci. 2006 May;92(3-4):373-83
references.pmid: 16054784
references.citation: PLoS Biol. 2008 Feb;6(2):e30
references.pmid: 18271627
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 1998 May 7;265(1398):803-9
references.pmid: 9628038