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Understanding the mechanical stresses of sexually selected structures; is baculum remodelling influenced by the frequency of sex?
Author(s) -
Dean Matthew,
Schultz Nicholas G.,
Huttenlocker Adam K
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.94.1
Subject(s) - biology , penis , sexual selection , function (biology) , bone remodeling , competition (biology) , evolutionary biology , anatomy , zoology , ecology , endocrinology
In about 80% of mammalian species, males have a bone in their penis called a baculum. The baculum displays astonishing morphological diversity, likely driven by a combination of adaptive processes that may relate to male‐male competition and male‐female interactions, although specific function(s) remain unknown. Bones continuously remodel themselves in response to the magnitude and direction of stresses they experience. Characterization of such remodelling in the baculum may help uncover its function during copulation. Here we compare patterns of baculum remodeling in mice, comparing two treatments (regular sex versus no sex) to understand whether copulation strains the baculum. These studies are important for illuminating the mechanical forces imparted by structures thought to be important for sexual selection. Support or Funding Information National Institutes of Health R01‐GM098536