{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T03:00:06Z","timestamp":1785121206530,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Spermatozoa (sperm) are the endpoint of a complex developmental process shaped by physiology, environment, and evolution. Their diversity and functional sophistication underpin our foundational understanding of male reproductive science. Here, I reconnect male reproductive healthcare and fertility practice with the dynamic biology underlying sperm diversity, emphasising their structural, functional, and physiological intricacy in both research and clinical settings. Drawing on presentations delivered at the 2025 Society for Reproductive Biology Annual Conference (Perth, Australia) and the 2025 Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference (Adelaide, Australia), this viewpoint article underscores that sperm complexity must guide both scientific inquiry and evidence-based clinical practice that is demonstrably linked to meaningful patient outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1071\/rd26075","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T02:36:25Z","timestamp":1785119785000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Reconnecting the complexity of sperm biology within male reproductive health"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"38","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8245-5828","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Cat","family":"Morton-Burns","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"AEducation Program in Reproduction and Development (EPRD), Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"2026072622361614500_R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"575","DOI":"10.5534\/wjmh.220282","article-title":"Controversy and consensus on indications for sperm DNA fragmentation testing in male infertility: a global survey, current guidelines, and expert recommendations.","volume":"41","author":"Agarwal","year":"2023","journal-title":"The World Journal of Men\u2019s Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"2026072622361614500_R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1016\/S0022-5347(17)55377-X","article-title":"Daily spermatozoal production and epididymal spermatozoal reserves of the human male.","volume":"124","author":"Amann","year":"1980","journal-title":"The Journal of Urology"},{"issue":"6","key":"2026072622361614500_R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"511","DOI":"10.1016\/j.orcp.2019.11.003","article-title":"Influence of increased paternal BMI on pregnancy and child health outcomes independent of maternal effects: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","volume":"13","author":"Campbell","year":"2019","journal-title":"Obesity Research and Clinical Practice"},{"issue":"1","key":"2026072622361614500_R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1111\/jzo.12317","article-title":"Paternal sex allocation: how variable is the sperm sex ratio?","volume":"299","author":"Edwards","year":"2016","journal-title":"Journal of Zoology"},{"issue":"12","key":"2026072622361614500_R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2505","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1420-9101.2009.01867.x","article-title":"Sperm competition and the evolution of the sperm hook in house mice.","volume":"22","author":"Firman","year":"2009","journal-title":"Journal of Evolutionary Biology"},{"issue":"5","key":"2026072622361614500_R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"943","DOI":"10.1016\/j.theriogenology.2005.09.009","article-title":"Flow cytometric sexing of mammalian sperm.","volume":"65","author":"Garner","year":"2006","journal-title":"Theriogenology"},{"issue":"1","key":"2026072622361614500_R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1152\/physrev.00013.2015","article-title":"Spermatogenesis: the commitment to meiosis.","volume":"96","author":"Griswold","year":"2016","journal-title":"Physiological Reviews"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"993","DOI":"10.1016\/j.freeradbiomed.2015.10.419","article-title":"Oxidative DNA damage in mouse sperm chromosomes: size matters.","volume":"89","author":"Kocer","year":"2015","journal-title":"Free Radical Biology and Medicine"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R9","unstructured":"Latham K (2025) \u2018There\u2019s a huge amount that we don\u2019t understand\u2019: why sperm is still so mysterious. BBC. Available at https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/future\/article\/20250613-untangling-the-mysteries-of-what-we-dont-know-about-sperm"},{"issue":"9","key":"2026072622361614500_R10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"735","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tig.2025.04.015","article-title":"Epigenetic effects of paternal environmental exposures and experiences on offspring phenotypes.","volume":"41","author":"Liao","year":"2025","journal-title":"Trends in Genetics"},{"issue":"6894","key":"2026072622361614500_R11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"174","DOI":"10.1038\/nature00832","article-title":"Exceptional sperm cooperation in the wood mouse.","volume":"418","author":"Moore","year":"2002","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R12"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R13","unstructured":"Morton-Burns CL (2022) Sperm Competition and Sex Allocation in Mammalian Males: Integrating Reproductive Physiology and Evolutionary Ecology. Doctoral Thesis, University of Canterbury. UC Research Repository. Available at http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.26021\/13711"},{"issue":"8","key":"2026072622361614500_R14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1635","DOI":"10.1111\/andr.13409","article-title":"Sperm DNA damage: the possible link between obesity and male infertility, an update of the current literature.","volume":"11","author":"Peel","year":"2023","journal-title":"Andrology"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R15"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R16"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2018.00072","article-title":"Molecular basis of human sperm capacitation.","volume":"6","author":"Puga Molina","year":"2018","journal-title":"Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2019.00388","article-title":"New biological insights on X and Y chromosome-bearing spermatozoa.","volume":"7","author":"Rahman","year":"2020","journal-title":"Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology"},{"issue":"12","key":"2026072622361614500_R19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1169","DOI":"10.1093\/molehr\/gau070","article-title":"Sperm competition and the evolution of spermatogenesis.","volume":"20","author":"Ramm","year":"2014","journal-title":"Molecular Human Reproduction"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2021.689624","article-title":"Epigenetics of male infertility: the role of DNA methylation.","volume":"9","author":"Rotondo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology"},{"key":"2026072622361614500_R21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2025.1529262","article-title":"Ejaculatory abstinence duration impacts semen parameters: Insights from a retrospective analysis in male infertility on 23,527 analyses.","volume":"16","author":"Russo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Frontiers in Endocrinology"},{"issue":"3","key":"2026072622361614500_R22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.1016\/j.repbre.2025.08.003","article-title":"From bench to bedside: mouse models in translating infertility research to clinical applications in assisted reproduction.","volume":"5","author":"Sengupta","year":"2025","journal-title":"Reproduction and Breeding"},{"issue":"11","key":"2026072622361614500_R23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2931","DOI":"10.1007\/s10815-024-03243-1","article-title":"Multifaceted paternal exposures before conception and their epigenetic impact on offspring.","volume":"41","author":"Wu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics"}],"container-title":["Reproduction, Fertility and Development"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/rd\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1071\/RD26075\/1947676\/rd26075.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/rd\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1071\/RD26075\/1947676\/rd26075.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T02:36:32Z","timestamp":1785119792000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/rd\/article\/38\/11\/RD26075\/275015\/Reconnecting-the-complexity-of-sperm-biology"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Graeme","family":"Martin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"11","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1071\/rd26075","relation":{},"ISSN":["1031-3613","1448-5990"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1031-3613","type":"print"},{"value":"1448-5990","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"article-number":"RD26075"}}