Matzke-Karasz R, Smith R J, Symonova R, Miller C G, Tafforeau P
Department of Environmental and Geosciences, Palaeontology, and GeoBioCenter, Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU), 80333 Muenchen, Germany.
Science. 2009 Jun 19;324(5934):1535. doi: 10.1126/science.1173898.
Reproduction with giant sperm occurs in distinct groups scattered over the animal kingdom. Although experiments in Drosophila assessed the influence of different selection pressures on this character, no information was available on its long-term stability. Sub-micrometer-resolution synchrotron quantitative phase tomography (holotomography) of exceptionally well-preserved three-dimensional Cretaceous ostracode fossils from the Brazilian Santana Formation indicates that ostracode reproduction with giant sperm persisted for at least over the past 100 million years. Remnants of the male sperm pumps as well as giant, inflated female sperm receptacles evidence that, despite high costs, reproduction with giant sperm can be an evolutionary successful strategy.
在动物界中，分散的不同类群存在着利用巨型精子进行繁殖的现象。尽管在果蝇身上进行的实验评估了不同选择压力对这一特征的影响，但关于其长期稳定性的信息却尚无定论。对来自巴西桑塔纳组保存异常完好的三维白垩纪介形虫化石进行亚微米分辨率的同步辐射定量相断层扫描（全息断层扫描）显示，介形虫利用巨型精子进行繁殖的现象至少在过去一亿年中一直存在。雄性精子泵的残余以及巨大、膨胀的雌性精子储存器证明，尽管成本高昂，但利用巨型精子进行繁殖可能是一种进化上成功的策略。
