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Table 1 Data on sperm morphology and performance for male Long-tailed Finches for each of the two subspecies, P. a. acuticauda and P. a. hecki

From: Subspecific variation in sperm morphology and performance in the Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda)

Trait

P. a. acuticauda

P. a. hecki

t

p

Mean ± SD

Mean ± SD

Total length (μm)

75.50 ± 4.35 (n = 19)

72.02 ± 5.85 (n = 23)

2.15

0.038

Head length (μm)

12.80 ± 0.73 (n = 19)

12.77 ± 0.59 (n = 23)

0.19

0.85

Midpiece length (μm)

39.98 ± 4.41 (n = 19)

40.97 ± 5.30 (n = 23)

−0.65

0.52

Flagellum length (μm)

62.70 ± 4.61 (n = 19)

59.25 ± 6.17 (n = 23)

2.01

0.051

Head width (μm)

6.61 ± 0.27 (n = 10)

7.03 ± 0.49 (n = 10)

−2.43

0.026

Midpiece:flagellum

0.64 ± 0.07 (n = 19)

0.69 ± 0.06 (n = 23)

−2.79

0.008

Flagellum:head

4.92 ± 0.51 (n = 19)

4.66 ± 0.62 (n = 23)

1.43

0.16

Acrosome:nucleus

0.75 ± 0.09 (n = 10)

0.77 ± 0.09 (n = 10)

−0.45

0.66

Total sperm length CVwm

2.71 ± 0.89 (n = 19)

3.00 ± 1.45 (n = 23)

0.54

0.60

VCL (μm s−1)

91.33 ± 15.00 (n = 18)

86.70 ± 14.88 (n = 22)

0.99

0.33

Proportion of motile sperm

0.70 ± 0.15 (n = 18)

0.75 ± 0.16 (n = 22)

0.98

0.33

  1. Descriptive statistics are based on mean values calculated from ten sperm cells for each male, while significance testing used linear mixed-effects models with subspecies included as a fixed factor and male identity as a random factor
  2. VCL curvilinear velocity in μm s−1
  3. Significant values shown in italics (p < 0.05)