allosperm
English
Etymology
allo- + sperm
Noun
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.
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Usage notes
This term is used primarily when discussing hermaphroditic organisms, to resolve the ambiguity of where sperm within the organism originated.
Related terms
- autosperm