Competitive Efficiency of Turkey Sperm

Abstract

ARISTOTLE was aware of competition of sperm in the oviduct, the object of this paper. He stated “the bird who carries an egg conceived by copulation, if it then has coitus with another male, will hatch all its chicks thereafter of a genus similar to the latter male.” (As quoted by Aldrovandi, 1599–1603). Harvey (1651) as quoted by Olsen and Neher (1948) suggested intra-ovarian fertilization. He believed that a single mating would fertilize all the eggs in the ovary. Buffon (1771), Burdach (1838) and Coste (1859), accepted, at least in part, Harvey’s contention. Furthermore, Harvey (1651), Ivanov (1924) and Vermeulen (1929) believed that fertilization of a hen’s eggs took place in the ovary before ovulation. Lau (1894), Barfurth (1896), Walton and Wethand (1933), Van Drimmelen (1946) and many others believed fertilization occurred only following ovulation. Critical studies by Olsen and Neher (1948) provided direct evidence that fertilization of the…