Thread by @MurielleAlund

Happy to be back in Sweden for my 2nd #BiologyofSperm meeting & hearing fascinating stories on evolution of sperm, gamete interactions, reproductive organs and strategies by fellow #spermnerds
#BoS2019 #BoS15

Started strong yesterday with Sabine Koelle showing us the very first live imaging movies of sperm behavior in human reproductive tracts, all the way to the fertilization site, and even sperm filmed live swimming inside the testes! What a cool talk!

Next @lross_evoento told us about (incomplete) paternal genome silencing in fascinating mealybugs. @emwhitti brought us to the amazing world of Post-Ejaculatory Modifications w/ impressive proteomics data from 1000s of #drosophila reproductive tract dissections. #BoS2019 #BoS15

Back to theory with Jussi Lehtonen and an extended model on the #evolution of anisogamy, before @Profgemmell 's extensive overview of studies of cryptic female choice in the search of a love potion in salmons.
#BoS2019 #BoS15

@sexinnature did not disappoint, showcasing the high diversity in marine mammals vaginal morphology & associated theories about their evolution. Do mammalian sperm need protection against potentially harmful salt water? #BoS2019 #BoS15

Cornelia Wetzger from @tudaz2 presented a new microscopy technique allowing to measure differences in modes of energy production in sperm stored in males or females. Is glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation predominant? #BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Moving on to mice & experimentally induced heteroplasmy, Kerstin Thonauser showed that mtDNA origin matters for sperm velocity. @YazBraimah talked about #speciation & immune reactions to foreign sperm between recently diverged #drosophila species.
#BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

After hearing about reproductive senescence in brown trout by @CraigPurchase , we learned about the impressive variation in sperm aggregation behaviour in Peromyscus mice, & links with sperm morphology & female ovarian fluid by @Kristin_Hook
#BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Looking forward to the large database @ArielKahrl is putting together, with data on mating system & sperm traits in over 3000 species across the animal kingdom. She told us about shifts between internal and external fertilization and how that affects sperm size. #BoS2019 #BoS15

@NathanClark111 launched day 2 of #BoS2019 presenting a complete series of studies on the morphology, composition & function of the bursa copulatrix of butterfly females. Is there conflict over how long they take to extract the spermatophore's nutrients?
#BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

With @FindlayLab we explored the genetic basis of male sterility and heard about newly discovered mutations and their amazing space-themed names!
#BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Context matters when measuring #sexualselection! @1jonevans showed differences in multivariate selection on sperm "quality" depending on what medium it is measured in.
#BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Cool new results by @iremsepil on #Drosophila reproductive senescence comparing sperm and seminal fluid proteins production and transfer in young and old males. Find out more about it here: biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

#BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

@redmakeda kicked the last day of #BoS2019 with impressive data and techniques and stunning videos & animations on the mechanisms of early embryonal development in insects. Take a look at her lab's database on insect egg morphology : nature.com/articles/s4159…
#BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

With @Jere_Brand we learned all about gains & losses of phenotypic traits in response to major changes in mating strategies across the #hemaphrodite Macrostomum flatworm phylogeny. Reciprocal sperm transfer and traumatic insemination, oh my! #BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Ask #drosophila about their relationship status : "it's complicated", as was beautifully highlighted by Stefan Lüpold, integrating many levels of selection acting on all partners of multiply mating flies. #BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

What happens to sperm & eggs of seed beetles raised or exposed to sudden bouts of suboptimal temperatures? @vasudeva_ram told us about plasticity, potential for evolution & consequences of relevant changes in thermal conditions for these insects. #BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Pushing the knowledge of the physiological interactions between sperm, seminal fluid and female reproductive tract yet a bit further, Mariana Wolfner presented new results on the strange phenomenon of copulation complementation in #drosophila. #BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Back on the very relevant subject of impacts of climate change on reproduction, @benjaminswalsh introduced us to the concept of "Thermal Fertility Limit". Check it out!
cell.com/trends/ecology…

#BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

After examining human egg surface receptors with Katerina Dvorakova-Horlova, finally some birds with seminal fluid proteomes in sparrows & their links to #immunity presented by @melissah_rowe. Looking forward to reading this very soon! #BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm #teambird

How not to be fascinated by #tardigrades? @SaraFirebolt 's group is studying their intriguing morphology & reproductive biology. Send them moss from all over the world so they can increase their number of cultures & knowledge on these creatures! #BoS2019 #BoS15 #BiologyofSperm

Concluding #BoS15, @SuzanneAlonzo told us about complex social interactions between females & 3 male morphs of ocellated wrasse, their reproductive strategies & investment in gamete quantity & quality. Do they differ in #cognition ?
#BoS2019 #BiologyofSperm #fishsci

Of course these wonderful days of talks were followed by intense poster sessions with many more cool results on the #BiologyofSperm and reproduction.
#BoS2019 #BoS15
Here are some of the themes represented on paper : (see next tweet)

Paternity, energetics of #reproduction & #sexualselection , inbreeding avoidance, genitalia #evolution, #sexualconflict, gamete molecular composition & physiology, cryptic female choice, #speciation, #cognition, microbes, #parasites & much more!
#BoS15 #BiologyofSperm #BoS2019

I had so much fun meeting old and new fellow #spermnerds! See below for the list of #BoS15 poster presenting #tweeps I could find!

#BoS2019 #BiologyofSperm

@Z_e_e_s @plakkerz @AlessandroDevig @maniermk @ericallarson @SilviaCat_telan @MartinGarlovsky @RowanLym @IdeaSpermatheca @oli_otti @tom_alb1 @patricerosengr1 @pittaro90 @StuartWigby @TAvidorReiss @raissadeboer @MatthewDeanLab @steve_ramm @e_kopania @JessicaAhlenS
#BiologyofSperm

Complete with the traditional afternoon walk and a wonderful new venue, #BoS2019 / #BoS15 couldn't have been better! Many thanks to the organizing committee and especially @RhondaSnook1 & John Fitzpatrick for putting together an amazing new edition of #BiologyofSperm!

@RhondaSnook1 @threadreaderapp , unroll please