allosperm
English edit
Etymology edit
Noun edit
allosperm (countable and uncountable, plural allosperms)
- (biology) Sperm that has been received from another organism.
- 2000, Robert T. Dillon, The Ecology of Freshwater Molluscs, →ISBN, page 80:
- They seem to have mechanisms that favour fertilization by allosperm (donated by a partner) over autosperm (produced endogenously).
- 2010, Janet Leonard, Alex Cordoba-Aguilar, The Evolution of Primary Sexual Characters in Animals, →ISBN, page 176:
- The latter have a well-defined allosperm storage organ, called spermatheca, attached to their fertilization pouch (Baur, this book).
- 2010, Nils Anthes, Peter M. Kappeler, Ralph Bergmüller, Animal Behaviour: Evolution and Mechanisms, →ISBN, page 340:
- This is consistent with theory that predicts a preference for the female mating role after periods of sexual isolation because of allosperm depletion.
- 2011, Gregory A. Lewbart, Invertebrate Medicine, →ISBN, page 101:
- During copulation, the penis deposits the autosperm (which now become allosperm) into the vaginal channel of the distal hermaphroditic duct of another animal. The allosperm then travel to the spermatotheca.
Usage notes edit
This term is used primarily when discussing hermaphroditic organisms, to resolve the ambiguity of where sperm within the organism originated.