Figure 2.—
Females mated to SP null males retain sperm long term. Mean (+1 SE) number of sperm stored in the seminal receptacles (SR) and spermathecae (Spp) of females mated to SP null (shaded bars) and control (solid bars) males at 2 hr, 4 days, and 10 days ASM. Asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference between female groups. We did not detect a significant difference in the number of sperm stored by mates of SP null males compared to their controls in the seminal receptacles or spermathecae at 2 hr ASM (SR: t-test, t = −1.41, Ncont = 18, NΔSP = 13, P = 0.17; Spp: t = −1.32, Ncont = 23, NΔSP = 22, P = 0.20), but we observed a significant difference in the number of sperm stored in seminal receptacles and spermathecae at 4 days ASM (SR: t = −12.39, Ncont = 47, NΔSP = 47, P < 0.0005; Spp: t = −3.63, Ncont = 37, NΔSP = 36, P = 0.001) and in the SR, but not in the Spp at 10 days ASM (SR: t = −4.26, Ncont = 29, NΔSP = 34, P <0.0005; Spp: t = 1.11, Ncont = 29, NΔSP = 34, P = 0. 274).