Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-000, Brazil.
Microsc Res Tech. 2013 Jan;76(1):94-101. doi: 10.1002/jemt.22141. Epub 2012 Oct 17.
Environmental factors can influence the reproductive rates in bats, and since morphometric information of bats testis is scarce, we aimed to compare the organization and quantification of the intertubular components in the testes of the bat Molossus molossus, collected in different seasons. Testicular histological sections were evaluated using light and electron microscopy. The intertubular compartment occupied an average 10% of the testes, being predominately constituted of Leydig cells (LC). The percentages of the testes occupied by the intertubular compartment and by LC were significantly higher in summer, while the other intertubular components did not vary significantly among the seasons. As suspected under light microscopy, the ultrastructural analysis confirmed the existence of multinucleated LC during winter. The increase in the nuclear percentage of LC in winter seems to have caused the decrease of the cytoplasmatic measurements in that season, as well as in the volume of LC. The highest cytoplasmatic values and volume of LC registered in the spring, summer, and fall can be related to greater activity of this cell in these seasons. The higher investment in intertubular tissue and in LC observed in summer, compared to winter; suggest an increase in the steroidogenic capacity of this bat during summer. The analyses correlating testicular morphometry and abiotic environmental factors in this study confirm the influence of climatic factors on the reproduction of M. molossus.
环境因素会影响蝙蝠的繁殖率，由于蝙蝠睾丸的形态计量学信息很少，我们旨在比较不同季节采集的毛腿蝠睾丸中管间成分的组织和定量。使用光镜和电镜评估睾丸组织学切片。管间区平均占睾丸的 10%，主要由莱迪希细胞（LC）组成。管间区和 LC 占睾丸的百分比在夏季显著较高，而其他管间成分在季节间无显著差异。正如在光镜下所怀疑的那样，超微结构分析证实了冬季存在多核 LC。冬季 LC 的核百分比增加似乎导致了该季节细胞质测量值以及 LC 体积的减少。春季、夏季和秋季记录的最高细胞质值和 LC 体积可能与该季节 LC 活性增加有关。与冬季相比，夏季观察到的管间组织和 LC 的更高投资表明，这种蝙蝠在夏季的类固醇生成能力增加。本研究中睾丸形态计量学和非生物环境因素的分析证实了气候因素对毛腿蝠繁殖的影响。
