Morphological changes associated with Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus ) phallic glans inflation,Journal of Morphology

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Morphological changes associated with Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus ) phallic glans inflation
Journal of Morphology ( IF 1.5 ) Pub Date : 2020-04-09 , DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21126
Brandon C Moore _{1,

2} , Rachel Francis ₂ , Adam Foster ₂ , Diane A Kelly ₃ , Mark Does ₄ , Dong K Kim ₄ , Herman B Groenewald ₅ , Jan G Myburgh ₆

Affiliation

The crocodylian phallic glans is the distal inflatable structure that makes the most direct contact with the female cloacal and associated reproductive tract openings during copulation. Therefore, its form and function directly impact female tissue sensory interactions and insemination mechanics. Compared to mammals, less is known about glans functional anatomy among other amniotes, including crocodylians. Therefore, we paired an ex vivo inflation technique with magnetic resonance imaging 3D‐reconstructions and corresponding histological analyses to better characterize the morphological glans restructuring occurring in the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) at copulation. The expansion of contiguous inflatable spongiform glans tissues is variably constrained by adjacent regions of dense irregular collagen‐rich tissues. Therefore, expansion shows regional differences with greater lateral inflation than dorsal and ventral. Furthermore, this enlargement elaborates the cup‐like glans lumen, dorsally reorients the glans ridge, stiffens the blunt and bifid glans tip, and putatively works to seal the ventral sulcus spermaticus semen conduit groove. We suggest how these dynamic male structures may interact with structures of the female cloacal urodeum and how these morphological changes, in concert with the varying material properties of the structural tissue compartments visualized in this study, aid copulatory gamete transfer and resulting fecundity.

中文翻译：

与尼罗鳄（Crocodylus niloticus）阴茎龟头膨胀相关的形态变化

鳄鱼的阴茎龟头是远端的可膨胀结构，在交配期间与雌性泄殖腔和相关的生殖道开口最直接接触。因此，它的形式和功能直接影响雌性组织的感觉相互作用和授精机制。与哺乳动物相比，对包括鳄鱼在内的其他羊膜动物的龟头功能解剖学知之甚少。因此，我们将离体膨胀技术与磁共振成像 3D 重建和相应的组织学分析相结合，以更好地表征尼罗鳄（Crocodylus niloticus）在交配时发生的形态学龟头重组。相邻的可膨胀海绵状龟头组织的扩张不同程度地受到密集的不规则富含胶原蛋白组织的相邻区域的限制。所以，扩张显示区域差异，横向膨胀比背侧和腹侧更大。此外，这种扩大使杯状龟头腔细化，在背侧重新定向龟头脊，使钝和分叉的龟头尖端变硬，并假定用于密封腹侧精索精液导管槽。我们建议这些动态的雄性结构如何与雌性泄殖腔泌尿道的结构相互作用，以及这些形态变化如何与本研究中可视化的结构组织隔室的不同材料特性相协调，有助于交配配子转移和产生的繁殖力。并推定起到密封腹侧精索精液导管沟的作用。我们建议这些动态的雄性结构如何与雌性泄殖腔泌尿道的结构相互作用，以及这些形态变化如何与本研究中可视化的结构组织隔室的不同材料特性相协调，有助于交配配子转移和产生的繁殖力。并推定起到密封腹侧精索精液导管沟的作用。我们建议这些动态的雄性结构如何与雌性泄殖腔泌尿道的结构相互作用，以及这些形态变化如何与本研究中可视化的结构组织隔室的不同材料特性相协调，有助于交配配子转移和产生的繁殖力。

更新日期：2020-04-09

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