Mate choice of female alpine accentors : female behavior, paternity, sperm activity, hormone.

在高山口音的Prunella collaris中，雌性请求优势雄性交配。此外，优势雄性对多个雌性采用配偶保护。因此，占统治地位的雄性能够获得更多的雌性，并且比从属的繁殖成功率更高。相比之下，从属的雄性也有繁殖的成功。在精子竞争理论中，精子的质量，而不是社会优势，将是获得父权的重要因素。本研究的目的是检查社会优势和精子活动在高山口音之间的关系。然而，人们对如何监测鸟类精子活动（精子速度、密度和活力）知之甚少。为此，我们开发了一种监测日本鹌鹑精子活性的方法。结果，我们证实了高排名的雄性比低排名的雄性有更高的精子和睾酮活性。在使用日本鹌鹑的研究中，收集的精子用大约80体积的BWW培养基（Irvine Scientific Co.）稀释。然而，欧文科学公司在2004年停止生产BWW培养基。我们于2003年收集并分析了携带BWW的高山口音者的精子。所以我们不能继续学习。在2005年，我们使用广岛分辨率代替BWW介质，但没有使用含有BWW的数据。因此，我们不得不在2005年再次获得数据。现在，我们写了一篇题为“社会支配对日本鹌鹑精子活动的影响”的手稿。

In the alpine accentor Prunella collaris, females solicit dominant males to copulate with. Moreover, dominant males adopt mate guarding for several females. Thus, dominant males are able to get many females and higher reproductive success than subordinates. In contrast, subordinate males also have a reproductive success. In the sperm competition theory, the quality of sperm, not social dominance, would be important to gain the paternity. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between social dominance and sperm activity in the alpine accentor. However, littlie is known how to monitor the sperm activity (sperm velocity, density, and motility) in birds. Therefore, we developed the method to monitor the sperm activity in the Japanese quail Coturnix japonica. As a result, we confirmed that high ranking males have higher activity of sperm and testosterone than low ranking males. In the study using the Japanese quail, collected sperm was diluted with ca. 80 volumes of BWW medium (Irvine Scientific Co.). However, Irvine Scientific Co. stopped to make BWW medium in 2004. We collected and analyzed the sperm of alpine accentors with BWW in 2003. So we could not continue to study. In 2005,we used Hiroshima resolution instead of BWW medium, but the data with BWW was not used. Therefore, we had to get data again in 2005. Now, we write a manuscript entitled "Influence of social dominance on the sperm activity in Japanese quail."