Composition of seminal plasma and ovarian fluid in Ide Leuciscus idus and Northern pike Esox lucius.

Seminal plasma (SP) and ovarian fluid (OF) plays an important role as storage media to prevent the activation of gametes both in vivo and under artificial conditions. The objectives of this study were to quantify gamete biochemistry and explore correlations among quantitative characteristics of SP, OF and sperm performance traits of Ide Leuciscus idus and Northern pike Esox lucius. Generally, Na , K and Cl were found to be the most dominating ions, although concentrations of K were higher in SP, while Na and Cl concentrations were higher in OF for both species. Several significant correlations among the biochemical properties such as total protein, glucose, osmolality, cholesterol, K , Ca , Cl and Mg were observed for SP and OF. Total protein content of Ide SP was positively correlated with sperm activity traits (r ≥ .89, p ≤ .05), while K concentration was negatively correlated with sperm traits (r ≥ -.89, p ≤ .05). Moreover, Ca concentration in Northern pike SP was positively correlated with the percentage of sperm motility (r = . 98, p < .01). In conclusion, these results can be used to better understand the biochemistry of SP and OF, improve methods for short- and long-term storage of gametes and standardize fertilization protocols.