000156537 001__ 156537 000156537 005__ 20251017144554.0 000156537 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1002/ece3.6019 000156537 0248_ $$2sideral$$a116900 000156537 037__ $$aART-2020-116900 000156537 041__ $$aeng 000156537 100__ $$aJiménez-Franco, M. V. 000156537 245__ $$aSperm storage reduces the strength of the mate-finding Allee effect 000156537 260__ $$c2020 000156537 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000156537 5203_ $$aMate searching is a key component of sexual reproduction that can have important implications for population viability, especially for the mate-finding Allee effect. Interannual sperm storage by females may be an adaptation that potentially attenuates mate limitation, but the demographic consequences of this functional trait have not been studied. Our goal is to assess the effect of female sperm storage durability on the strength of the mate-finding Allee effect and the viability of populations subject to low population density and habitat alteration. We used an individual-based simulation model that incorporates realistic representations of the demographic and spatial processes of our model species, the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca). This allowed for a detailed assessment of reproductive rates, population growth rates, and extinction probabilities. We also studied the relationship between the number of reproductive males and the reproductive rates for scenarios combining different levels of sperm storage durability, initial population density, and landscape alteration. Our results showed that simulated populations parameterized with the field-observed demographic rates collapsed for short sperm storage durability, but were viable for a durability of one year or longer. In contrast, the simulated populations with a low initial density were only viable in human-altered landscapes for sperm storage durability of 4 years. We find that sperm storage is an effective mechanism that can reduce the strength of the mate-finding Allee effect and contribute to the persistence of low-density populations. Our study highlights the key role of sperm storage in the dynamics of species with limited movement ability to facilitate reproduction in patchy landscapes or during population expansion. This study represents the first quantification of the effect of sperm storage durability on population dynamics in different landscapes and population scenarios. 000156537 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/RYC-2017-22783$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN RYC-2017-22796$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-FEDER/CGL2012-33536$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-FEDER/CGL2015-64144 000156537 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 000156537 590__ $$a2.912$$b2020 000156537 591__ $$aEVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY$$b25 / 50 = 0.5$$c2020$$dQ2$$eT2 000156537 591__ $$aECOLOGY$$b70 / 166 = 0.422$$c2020$$dQ2$$eT2 000156537 592__ $$a1.17$$b2020 000156537 593__ $$aEcology$$c2020$$dQ1 000156537 593__ $$aNature and Landscape Conservation$$c2020$$dQ1 000156537 593__ $$aEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics$$c2020$$dQ1 000156537 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000156537 700__ $$aGiménez, A. 000156537 700__ $$aRodríguez-Caro, R. C. 000156537 700__ $$aSanz-Aguilar, A. 000156537 700__ $$aBotella, F. 000156537 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-5038-5338$$aAnadón, J. D.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000156537 700__ $$aWiegand, T. 000156537 700__ $$aGraciá, E. 000156537 7102_ $$15011$$2220$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural$$cÁrea Ecología 000156537 773__ $$g10 (2020), 1938–1948$$pEcology and evolution$$tEcology and Evolution$$x2045-7758 000156537 85641 $$uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85079054492&doi=10.1002%2fece3.6019&partnerID=40&md5=6949bd1ebc282a1e67336c1c482e5eff$$zTexto completo de la revista 000156537 8564_ $$s1346907$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/156537/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000156537 8564_ $$s2264837$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/156537/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000156537 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:156537$$particulos$$pdriver 000156537 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:12:43 000156537 980__ $$aARTICLE