PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Barbara A. Eckel
AU  - Anastasia V. Illner
AU  - Oliver Otti
AU  - Klaus Reinhardt
TI  - The sperm-associated microbiota of crickets and their local variation and rapid turnover
AID  - 10.1101/2021.10.10.463754
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.10.10.463754
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/10/10/2021.10.10.463754.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/10/10/2021.10.10.463754.full
AB  - While studying aspects of the sperm biology and immunity of two species of crickets, we encountered bacteria that were released from the male sperm container, the spermatophore, alongside sperm. We describe a presumably rich microbe flora in the sperm population (‘sperm-associated microbiota’). These sperm-associated microbiota differed between the two species of cricket and between different populations and showed functional diversity. Further, sperm-associated microbiota killed sperm, highlighting their potential role in fitness, especially since they are most likely transferred to females during mating.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.