IONIC AND OSMOTIC CONDITIONS 71 



centration, it being lower when the cellular concentration is high- 

 est (Salisbury and VanDemark, 1961). It is assumed that the buffer- 

 ing capacity of semen will influence the pH of the female tract, which 

 in the cow is more acid in the vagina and uterus (ca. 5.85) than in 

 the oviduct (ca. 6.7) and follicular fluid (ca. 7.3) (Salisbury and Van- 

 Demark, 1961), but this has not been carefully tested in most spe- 

 cies. 



Literature Shows H Ion Interaction with Other Ions. The effect 

 of pH in the media of suspension on several aspects of ejaculated 

 sperm physiology, including immediate motility (Blackshaw and 

 Emmens, 1951; Emmens, 1947, 1948; Killian, 1933; Moore et al, 

 1940; Muschat, 1926; Shedlovsky et al, 1942), livability during stor- 

 age (Anderson, 1947; Emmens, 1947, 1948; Foote, 1950; Lardy and 

 Phillips, 1939; Moore et al., 1940; Romijn, 1948), oxygen consump- 

 tion (Bishop and Mathews, 1952; Carter, 1932; Lardy and Phillips, 

 1943; Lardy et al., 1945; Winchester and McKenzie, 1941), fertility 

 and sex ratio of the progeny produced (Casida and Murphree, 1942; 

 Cole et al., 1940; McPhee and Eaton, 1942) in several species includ- 

 ing man (Blackshaw and Emmens, 1951; Killian, 1933; Muschat, 

 1926; Shedlovsky et al, 1942), ram (Blackshaw and Emmens, 1951; 

 Lardy and Phillips, 1939; Lardy et al, 1945; Moore et al, 1940; 

 Winchester and McKenzie, 1941), boar (McPhee and Eaton, 1942; 

 Walton and Dott, 1956), bull, and rabbit (Bishop and Mathews, 

 1952; Carter, 1932; Casida and Murphree, 1942; Cole et al, 1940; 

 Emmens, 1947, 1948; McPhee and Eaton, 1942), among others have 

 been reported. For bull spermatozoa (Blackshaw and Emmens, 

 1951; Lardy and Phillips, 1939, 1943; Phillips and Lardy, 1940; 

 Romijn, 1948) the evidence clearly shows that the optimum pH 

 range of the media for some of these functions depends in marked 

 degree on the nature of the ions making up the diluent. For ex- 

 ample, some studies show a wide tolerance to pH varying from 5.0 

 to 8.5 (Bernstein and Beskhlebnov, 1937; Blackshaw and Emmens, 

 1951; Salisbury and Kinney, 1957) with zones of optimum pH being 

 different for lactate (pH 7.1-8.0), acetate (6.8-8.0), and glycocoll 

 (4.4-5.0) (Bernstein and Beskhlebnov, 1937). Maximum livability at 

 the optimum pH zone varied with the anions in descending order, 

 tartrate, glycocoll, phosphate, lactate, and acetate (Bernstein and 

 Beskhlebnov, 1937). Of these anions both lactate and acetate are 



