Dependence of sperm accumulation on the magnitude of the temperature difference.

<p>The temperature of the sperm-containing compartment was 36.5°C in all runs. The temperature differences shown in the abscissa were measured by the thermocouples at both ends of the tube (externally to the tube). Net accumulation was calculated by subtracting the no-gradient control accumulation from the sperm accumulation in a temperature gradient. The results are the mean ± SEM of 7–9 determinations (3–5 experiments). The difference between capacitated and non-capacitated sperm is very significant (<i>P</i><0.0001, according to one-way ANOVA with Tukey-Kramer Multiple Comparisons post-test).