Paternal physical inactivity alters offspring sex ratio and is associated with heritable impairments in reproductive success in rats
Data files
Feb 06, 2026 version files 42.98 KB
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README.md
2.36 KB
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Supplementary_Table_1_F0_mating.xlsx
12.93 KB
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Supplementary_Table_2_F1_cross.xlsx
13.22 KB
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Supplementary_Table_3_Sperm_motility.xlsx
14.46 KB
Abstract
Paternal lifestyle factors are increasingly recognized as determinants of offspring health, yet the effects of physical inactivity on reproduction remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that paternal physical inactivity caused a bias in offspring sex ratio and reduced fertility across generations in rats. Male rats subjected to 8 weeks of restricted activity produced offspring with a female-biased sex ratio (female:male = 39:16; p = 0.011; odds ratio = 2.84) compared with controls (24:28). Sperm motility was markedly reduced in inactive fathers (p < 0.001 vs. control) but was fully restored by voluntary wheel running (p < 0.05 vs. inactive), indicating reversibility of this functional impairment. Cross-mating of first-filial-generation (F1) rats of inactive paternal origin revealed that females derived from inactive fathers exhibited lower pregnancy rates and smaller litter size, whereas F1 males displayed normal fertility. Remarkably, intercrosses between F1 males and females of inactive paternal origin produced no viable offspring surviving to weaning age. Although the sample size was limited, this outcome suggests a heritable impairment in reproductive success. These findings identify paternal physical inactivity as an environmental factor influencing offspring sex ratio and reproductive success across generations; however, studies with larger mating cohorts are needed to confirm this transgenerational phenotype.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.ttdz08mbb
Description of the data and file structure
Raw data supporting Yoshihara et al., Biology Letters, RSBL-2025-0725
Files and variables
File: Supplementary_Table_1_F0_mating.xlsx
Description: Each row represents one breeding pair. Data include sire and dam IDs, group allocation (Control or Inactive), cohabitation period, pregnancy confirmation, litter size, sex ratio (female:male), and fraction of male pups (male/total). Statistical analyses are described in the Materials and Methods section.
Variables
- Group, No., Sire ID, Sire group, Dam ID, Cohabitation, Pregnancy confirmation, Litter size, Weaning survival, Female : Male, Fraction male pups
File: Supplementary_Table_2_F1_cross.xlsx
Description: Each row represents one mating pair. Columns include sire and dam IDs, paternal background (C-derived or I-derived), cohabitation period, pregnancy status, litter size, and offspring survival at weaning. No statistical analyses were performed due to limited sample size.
Variables
- Group, No., Sire ID, Sire group, Dam ID, Cohabitation, Pregnancy confirmation, Litter size, Weaning survival, Female : Male, Fraction male pups
File: Supplementary_Table_3_Sperm_motility.xlsx
Description: Each row represents one sire. Columns include group (Control, Inactive, Inactive+Exercise), percentage of motile sperm, and kinematic parameters derived from SMAS analysis: VAP (average path velocity), VSL (straight-line velocity), VCL (curvilinear velocity), LIN (linearity = VSL/VCL ×100), STR (straightness = VSL/VAP ×100), ALH (amplitude of lateral head displacement, µm), and BCF (beat-cross frequency, Hz). All parameters were recorded under identical settings (frame rate = 60 Hz, calibration = 0.627 µm/pixel, tracking >= 60 frames).
Variables
- No., Rat ID, Group, %Motile, VAP μm/s, VSL μm/s, VCL μm/s, LIN, STR, ALH μm, BCF Hz
Code/software
Excel
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- No other publicly accessible locations.
Data was derived from the following sources:
- Not applicable.