Seminal vesicle size and sperm presence
Measurements were done on two- and six-day old virgin males. After dissecting out the reproductive tract, we isolated both seminal vesicles (SVs). We placed the SVs on a slide in a drop of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution and a picture of both organs was taken under the microscope immediately after dissection to subsequently measure their area. Afterwards, we checked for the presence of sperm by puncturing the central area with a thin needle. We recorded and assigned a value of 1- when sperm was present or 0- when the sperm was absent for each SV and the mean size of both SVs was used for each male in the subsequent analysis. A total of 15-20 males per treatment and day were dissected.