Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ejaculate

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

  • 24 Accesses

Synonyms

Semen

Definition

Insemination package of sperm and other compounds produced by the male to facilitate transfer of sperm to the site of fertilization

Introduction

An ejaculate is composed of male genetic material housed within sperm cells and fluids containing chemical compounds that improve male fertilization success. Sperm is produced in the testes and travels out of the male’s body through a system of ducts connected to the accessory reproductive glands (ARGs). The accessory reproductive glands add fluids to the ejaculate for sperm nourishment and protection while inside the female reproductive tract.

Sperm Production

Spermatogenesis, or the process of sperm production, occurs within microscopic tubules within the testicles. Mature sperm cells develop from spermatogonia, the undifferentiated male germ cell, and are matured and stored within the male reproductive tract prior to ejaculation. Sperm cells are haploid, meaning they contain only half of the genetic material...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Birkhead, T. R., & Møller, A. P. (1998). Sperm competition and sexual selection. Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, T., Liddle, L. F., Kalb, J. M., Wolfner, M. F., & Partridge, L. (1995). Cost of mating in Drosophila melanogaster females is mediated by male accessory gland products. Nature, 373, 241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewsbury, D. A. (1982). Ejaculate cost and male choice. The American Naturalist, 119, 601–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dixson, A. L., & Anderson, M. J. (2002). Sexual selection, seminal coagulation and copulatory plug formation in primates. Folia Primatologica, 73, 63–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folstad, I., & Skarstein, P. (1997). Is male germ line control creating avenues for female choice? Behavioral Ecology, 8, 109–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gage, M. J. (1994). Associations between body size, mating pattern, testis size and sperm lengths across butterflies. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 258, 247–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gage, M. J., Stockley, P., & Parker, G. A. (1995). Effects of alternative male mating strategies on characteristics of sperm production in the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Theoretical and empirical investigations. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 350, 391–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillott, C. (2003). Male accessory gland secretions: Modulators of female reproductive physiology and behavior. Annual review of entomology, 48, 163–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, F., & Birkhead, T. (2002). Sperm viability and sperm competition in insects. Current Biology, 12, 121–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Møller, A., & Briskie, J. (1995). Extra-pair paternity, sperm competition and the evolution of testis size in birds. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 36, 357–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. A., & Pizzari, T. (2010). Sperm competition and ejaculate economics. Biological Reviews, 85(4), 897–934.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitnick, S., Hosken, D. J., & Birkhead, T. R. (2009). Sperm morphological diversity. In Sperm biology: An evolutionary perspective (Vol. 3, pp. 69–149). London: Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pound, N., & Gage, M. J. (2004). Prudent sperm allocation in Norway rats, Rattus norvegicus: a mammalian model of adaptive ejaculate adjustment. Animal Behaviour, 68, 819–823.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snook, R. R. (2005). Sperm in competition: not playing by the numbers. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20, 46–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, R., Reichard, M., & Smith, C. (2013). Strategic sperm allocation and a Coolidge effect in an externally fertilizing species. Behavioral Ecology, 24, 82–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Rachel M. Petersen

Authors
  1. Rachel M. Petersen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel M. Petersen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Constance Dubuc

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Petersen, R.M. (2018). Ejaculate. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_304-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_304-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation