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One study found that long-lived sperm transmit enhanced survival and fitness to future generations.
In a laboratory experiment, the scientists separated long-lived and short-lived sperm from the same sample of zebrafish semen.
They then used sperm to fertilize two half-brooded eggs laid by one woman.
The lead scientist, Dr. Simone Immler, of the School of Biological Sciences at East Anglia University, said, "We found that when we select long-lived sperm in the Ejaculate of a male zebrafish, the resulting offspring is much more fit than that of their siblings spawned by the shorter life sperm of the same man.
"More specifically, children with longer-lasting spermatozoa produce more and healthier throughout their lives, as they age more slowly.
"This is a surprising result, which suggests that it is important to understand how the choice of sperm can contribute to the fitness of future generations."
The results, reported in the journal Evolution Letters, have important implications for human reproduction and fertility, as well as for IVF treatment, say the researchers.
A single sperm ejaculate can contain millions of sperm, but very few of them eventually fertilize an egg, Dr. Immler said.
She said: "The sperm contained in an ejaculate varies not only in its shape and performance, but also in the genetic material of each one of them.
"Until now, it was generally accepted that the sperm that fertilized an egg was not important as long as it could fertilize it.
"But we have shown that there are huge differences between sperm and how they affect offspring."
Scientists are now researching the genes that underlie their discoveries.
"This research has important implications for evolutionary biology and potentially beyond areas that use badisted fertilization technologies, for example in livestock husbandry or IVF in humans," the report said. Dr. Immler.
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