Seasonal changes in the biochemistry of seminal plasma and sperm motility in the ocean pout,Macrozoarces americanus

Sperm motility, pH and osmolality of seminal plasma varied throughout the reproductive season spanning the period from June to September. Initially, sperm motility was low, peaked in July and August and then fell again towards the end of the spawning season. While the pH of seminal plasma increased from pH 7.4 to 7.9 during the period of spermiation, the average seasonal pH (7.78 ± 0.03) remained close to an experimentally determined optimum pH range for ocean pout sperm motility (pH 8–9). Likewise, although the values for seminal plasma osmolality fell during the reproductive season, from 416–339 mmol kg-1, the average osmolality value 356 ± 3 was within the optimum for sperm motility (300–400 mmol kg-1). In comparing fluctuations in sperm motility with the biochemical composition of ocean pout seminal plasma during the spawning season, this analysis showed that increased Mg++ levels were correlated with the summer period of maximum sperm motility. A seasonal decline in Na+ and Cl− ion levels was reflected in lower seminal plasma osmolality values.