Evidence that the seasonally breeding Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus) does not exhibit short-day photorefractoriness

Adult female Bennett's wallabies (N = 6) were maintained in artificial winter solstitial daylengths commencing 3 weeks before the winter solstice for 16 or 42 weeks. Such treatment effectively prevented the normal establishment of seasonal reproductive quiescence with animals continuing to exhibit reproductive cycles beyond the time of the normal termination of the breeding season. Animals maintained in natural photoperiods or simulated natural changes in daylength after the winter solstice all entered reproductive quiescence by early February. In the Bennett's wallaby, therefore, the breeding season does not terminate as a result of refractoriness to short daylengths. Our results indicate that the relatively small increases in photoperiod shortly after the winter solstice provide the environmental signal responsible for initiating the onset of seasonal reproductive quiescence which normally occurs 5-8 weeks after the solstice. These results contrast with the effect of fixed artificial summer solstitial daylengths on the onset of the breeding season in which breeding begins spontaneously at the normal time of year as a result of long-day photorefractoriness.     

Variation in the timing of the reproductive season among breeds of sheep in relation to differences in photoperiodic synchronization of an endogenous rhythm.

Photoperiod may regulate seasonal reproduction either by providing the primary driving force for the reproductive transitions or by synchronizing an endogenous reproductive rhythm. This study evaluated whether breed differences in timing of the reproductive seasons of Finnish Landrace (Finn) and Galway ewes are due to differences in photoperiodic drive of the reproductive transitions or to differences in photoperiodic synchronization of the endogenous rhythm of reproductive activity. The importance of decreasing photoperiod after the summer solstice in determining the onset and duration of the breeding season was tested by housing ewes from the summer solstice in either a simulated natural photoperiod or a fixed summer-solstice photoperiod (18 h light:6 h dark; summer-solstice hold). Onset of the breeding season within each breed did not differ between these photoperiodic treatments, but Galway ewes began and ended their breeding season earlier than Finn ewes. The duration of the breeding season was shorter in Galway ewes on summer-solstice hold than on simulated natural photoperiod; duration did not differ between photoperiodic treatments in Finn ewes. The requirement for increasing photoperiod after the winter solstice for initiation of anoestrus was tested by exposing ewes from the winter solstice to either a simulated natural photoperiod or a winter-solstice hold photoperiod (8.5 h light:15.5 h dark). Onset of anoestrus within each breed did not differ between these photoperiodic treatments, but the time of this transition differed between breeds. These observations suggest that genetic differences in timing of the breeding season in Galway and Finn ewes do not reflect differences in the extent to which photoperiod drives the reproductive transitions, because neither breed requires shortening days to enter the breeding season or lengthening days to end it at appropriate times. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that photoperiod synchronizes an endogenous rhythm of reproductive activity in both breeds and that genetic differences in timing of the breeding season reflect differences in photoperiodic synchronization of this rhythm.     

Refractoriness to inhibitory day lengths initiates the breeding season of the Suffolk ewe

Recent evidence indicates that the breeding season of the Suffolk ewe ends because of loss of response to a day length that was previously inductive. This condition of photorefractoriness could potentially also initiate reproduction, as is the case in several long-day breeding rodents. In this study we determined if ewes enter their breeding season because they become refractory to the long ambient photoperiods of late summer. On the summer solstice, 3 groups of ovariectomized ewes (n = 6) bearing s.c. Silastic implants of estradiol (OVX + E) were placed in different day length treatments: 1) natural photoperiod; 2) artificial photoperiod, stimulating natural day lengths; or 3) artificial photoperiod equivalent to that of the summer solstice (16.25L). Entry into the breeding season is associated with a striking (greater than 30-fold) increase in circulating levels of luteinizing hormone (LH). Timing of the onset of the breeding season was not delayed in ewes maintained on the summer solstice photoperiod; LH levels rose simultaneously in all groups. We conclude that ewes normally begin breeding not because they are actively driven to do so by decreasing or short days, but because they become refractory to prevailing long days. Because the pattern of circulating melatonin, which is known to transduce the photoperiodic message, remained entirely appropriate to day length, we believe that the mechanism responsible for photorefractoriness resides in the postpineal processing of the melatonin signal.     

Reproductive refractoriness in the Welsh Mountain ewe induced by a short photoperiod can be overridden by exposure to a shorter photoperiod

The objectives were to determine if relative lengths of photoperiods that induce reproductive cycles in ewes affect the length of the subsequent breeding season, if duration of the refractoriness that terminates breeding is affected by photoperiod length, and if the resulting refractoriness to an inductive photoperiod is absolute. Groups of Welsh Mountain ewes were exposed to either 12L:12D (n = 12) or 8L:16D (n = 6) photoperiods beginning at the summer solstice when daylengths reach a maximum of 17.5 h at Bristol, England. A control group (n = 10) was exposed to natural daylengths. Ovarian cycles in the controls, as judged by monitored plasma progesterone levels, commenced in early October, about 1 mo later (p less than 0.001 in both cases) than in sheep exposed to 12L:12D or 8L:16D. The advancement in cycle onset was similar under 12L:12D and 8L:16D (69 +/- 2 and 77 +/- 4 days after the summer solstice compared with 102 +/- 2 days in the controls). Duration of the breeding season (100 +/- 4 days) in ewes exposed to 12L:12D was significantly shorter (p less than 0.001 in both cases) than in ewes exposed to natural daylengths or 8L:16D (153 +/- 3 and 133 +/- 5 days, respectively). Approximately 70 days after the ending of ovulatory cycles in the 12L:12D group, half of the animals (n = 6) were transferred to 8L:16D. This treatment greatly (p less than 0.001) reduced the duration of anestrus and cycles began again 62 +/- 4 days after transfer to 8L:16D, or about 90 days earlier than in ewes (n = 6) remaining in 12L:12D.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The role of refractorinesss to long daylength in the annual reproductive cycle of the female Bennett's Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus)

The beginning of the breeding season of the female Bennett's wallaby occurs when seasonal quiescence terminates 1-2 months after the summer solstice. In this study, the role of photoperiod in terminating seasonal quiescence was examined. One week before the summer solstice, five non-lactating wallabies were transferred from natural to artificial summer solstice daylength for 5 months. The beginning of the breeding season in these animals as indicated by births, matings, and peripheral progesterone profiles was not different from that of five control animals maintained on natural photoperiod. The following year, three animals were transferred from natural to summer solstice daylength on February 25 and were held on the artificial photoperiod until September 30. Changes in plasma progesterone concentrations indicative of the beginning of the breeding season occurred on June 12-30 (range), which was significantly (P less than 0.01) advanced by 29 days when compared with six control animals. These results indicate that the decrease in daylength that occurs after the summer solstice is not required to induce the termination of seasonal quiescence at the beginning of the breeding season. Further, the beginning of the breeding season can be advanced by transferring animals to long daylength early in seasonal quiescence. Photorefractoriness to long daylengths may therefore be important in the initiation of the breeding season in this species. In further experiments, groups of six animals were transferred from natural to artificial summer solstice daylength on September 26 and December 9 and pouch young were removed 7 days after the transfer. In September, reactivation of the quiescent corpus luteum followed soon after removal of pouch young (RPY) indicating that exposure to long daylength had not induced a transition into seasonal quiescence. In December, RPY was not followed by reactivation of the quiescent corpus luteum indicating that animals were in seasonal quiescence. These results suggest that the female Bennett's wallaby may need to experience a period of shortening days after the summer solstice before exposure to long days can again initiate seasonal quiescence.     

Photoperiod requirements for puberty differ from those for the onset of the adult breeding season in female sheep

Reproductive responses to photoperiod were directly compared in mature ewes and in their spring-born twin female lambs. All females were ovariectomized and treated with oestradiol implants before transfer into artificial photoperiod; serum LH concentrations and pulsatile LH patterns provided an index of neuroendocrine reproductive activity. Mothers were transferred from natural photoperiod to artificial long days (16 h light:8 h dark) at the summer solstice so that no decrease in photoperiod would be experienced. These ewes began reproductive activity synchronously at the expected time in the autumn. One of each pair of twin lambs was treated exactly as the mothers; to determine the normal timing of puberty the remaining twin was maintained in a photoperiod simulating the natural decrease in daylength. In all 6 control lambs experiencing the simulated natural photoperiod, reproductive activity occurred synchronously at 28 +/- 1 weeks of age (2 October +/- 7 days). However, in their twin sisters which did not experience a decrease in photoperiod, only 2 of 6 lambs had begun reproductive activity by the end of the experiment at 52 weeks of age (March), and these were both delayed relative to their twin control lambs exposed to decreasing daylength. Therefore, a decrease in photoperiod is necessary for the normal timing of puberty in the spring-born, female sheep, whereas seasonally anoestrous, mature sheep can enter the breeding season at a normal time in the absence of decreasing photoperiod. We suggest that the requirement for a decreasing photoperiod by the spring-born lamb reflects its limited photoperiodic history as compared to the adult.     

Photoperiodic disruption of photorefractoriness in the ewe

The primary objective of this study was to determine the duration of exposure to a long-day or short-day photoperiod required to disrupt photorefractoriness to short-day and long-day photoperiods, respectively. In Experiment 1, 4 groups of Suffolk breed ewes--designated B1, B2, B3, and B4--were placed in photochambers one day before the winter solstice, exposed to a 16L:8D photoperiod for 0, 30, 60, or 90 days, and then exposed to a 10L:14D photoperiod until the time of the summer solstice. Blood samples taken by venipuncture thrice weekly were analyzed for progesterone concentrations. The interval between start of the study and cessation of estrous cycles did not differ significantly between groups (p greater than 0.05). All 6 ewes in Group B1 then remained in anestrus for the duration of the study. Four of the 6 ewes in Group B2, and all ewes in Groups B3 and B4 resumed cycles after exposure to the 10L:14D photoperiod. In Experiment 2, 4 groups of ewes--designated A1, A2, A3, and A4--were placed in photochambers one day before the summer solstice, exposed to a 10L:14D photoperiod for 0, 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively, and then exposed to a 16L:8D photoperiod. Ewes in Group A1 started estrous cycles at a time not significantly different from ewes kept outdoors. However, onset of cycles was significantly advanced (p less than 0.05) in ewes exposed to 10L:14D. After ewes were returned to the 16L:8D photoperiod, estrous cycles were suppressed in 5 of 6 ewes in Group A2 and in all ewes in Groups A3 and A4.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Termination of the breeding season in the Suffolk ewe: involvement of an endogenous rhythm of reproduction

Two studies were performed to determine if the transition into anestrus in the Suffolk ewe results from the lack of a decrease in photoperiod, a signal suggested to be important in maintaining the breeding season, or from an obligatory turn-off that reflects the expression of an endogenous rhythm of reproduction. Shortly after the autumnal equinox, three groups of ovariectomized ewes bearing s.c. Silastic implants of estradiol were placed in different lighting environments. A control group was exposed to normal variations in day length until the winter solstice and held on that day length thereafter. The two experimental groups experienced either a continuously decreasing day length or a continuously increasing duration of elevated melatonin levels during each 24-h period until mid-March. Reproductive activity, assessed by circulating levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), was marginally extended (2-3 wk) in the experimental groups. In a second experiment, two groups of ovary-intact ewes were exposed to photoperiodic treatments shortly after the winter solstice. A control group was held on the winter solstice day length (10L:14D) until the end of the study in mid-March. The experimental group experienced a 3-h photoperiodic reduction to 7L:17D. It remained to determine if that abrupt decrease could maintain reproductive induction. Again, the cessation of reproductive induction was marginally delayed in the experimental group (2-3 wk). This marginal delay in the arrest of reproductive activity seen in both experiments indicates that the lack of decrease in day length around and after the winter solstice may play some role in timing the end of the breeding season. However, our inability to prevent or markedly delay the termination of reproductive activity leads to the conclusion that the primary reason for the transition into anestrus is an obligatory turn-off. This obligatory process may be the expression of an underlying endogenous rhythm of reproduction.     

Artificial long days and daily contact with bucks induce ovarian but not oestrous activity during the non-breeding season in Mediterranean goat females

The aim of the present study was to determine whether a treatment of 3 mo of artificial long days and daily contact with bucks can stimulate reproductive activity during the normal seasonal anoestrous in female goats, and whether such treatment modifies the onset of the normal breeding season. Thirty-nine adult, open does were assigned to two treatments of similar mean body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS). One treatment (LD; n=18) was housed in a light-proof building and exposed to long days (16 h of light/d) from 17 November to 5 February, and then exposed to the natural photoperiod in an open shed. The remaining females were housed in an open shed under natural photoperiod conditions throughout the experiment (control [C]; n=21). Plasma samples for progesterone, BW and BCS were recorded every wk. Oestrous activity was checked daily using aproned bucks. Bucks were housed close to females in a separate barn from the onset of the experiment. Ovulation rate was determined by laparoscopy 7 d after positive identification of oestrus. The interaction of treatment by time for temporal concentrations patterns of progesterone concentrations indicated that luteal activity in LD does were greater (P<0.001) than those of C does during the natural seasonal anoestrous season. None of the C does exhibited oestrous or luteal activity during the non-breeding season; whereas, 72% of LD does exhibited luteal activity only 33% of them showed oestrous activity and during this season (P<0.01). Differences in resumption of the oestrous or luteal activity were not observed (P>0.05) in the subsequent breeding season between treatments. In conclusion, 3 mo of exposing does to long days and daily contact with bucks during the breeding season appears to stimulate reproductive processes that normal would not occur during the anoestrous season. However, this treatment does not induce oestrus is adequate numbers of does to be of practical value. Finally, this treatment does not modify the onset of the subsequent natural breeding season.     

Photoperiodic requirements for timing onset and duration of the breeding season of the ewe: Synchronization of an endogenous rhythm of reproduction

Summary A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that different portions of the annual photoperiodic cycle play different roles in timing the breeding season of the ewe, Ovis aries, an animal in which an endogenous rhythm generates the seasonal reproductive transitions. Adult female sheep were pinealectomized to disrupt transduction of photoperiodic cues at 4 times of the year (summer and winter solstices, vernal and autumnal equinoxes), and the effects on seasonal reproductive neuroendocrine activity were evaluated. Time of pinealectomy greatly influenced the subsequent seasonal reproductive cycle such that the following inferences are possible. Lengthening days between the winter and summer solstices synchronize reproductive onset to the appropriate time of year. The relatively long days around the summer solstice act to suppress reproductive activity and forestall the start of the breeding season until late summer/early autumn. The shortening days between the summer solstice and autumnal equinox maintain a normal intensity and duration of reproductive neuroendocrine induction during the impending breeding season. However, the shortening days between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice (i.e., after breeding season onset) do not appear to play a critical role in maintaining the breeding season of that year, but may provide important cues for timing the breeding season of the following year.Abbreviations LH luteinizing hormone Presented in preliminary form at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, 1988, Biol Reprod 38 (Suppl. 1): 184 (Abstract 408). This work was performed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. at The University of Michigan (to N.L.W.), and was funded by NIH-HD-18337 and NIH-HD-18258, T-32-HD-07048, the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (France) and the Office of the Vice President for Research of The University of Michigan.     

Influence of photoperiod on the seasonal pattern of secretion of luteinizing hormone and testosterone and on the antler cycle in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

Annual variations in concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone in plasma were analysed in relation to the antler cycle in six adult male roe deer exposed to a natural photoperiod (latitude 46 degrees 10'N) and in four adult males maintained in a constant short-day photoperiod (8 h light: 16 h dark) for a year, from the winter solstice at which time both groups of animals had antlers in velvet. The animals were sampled, every 15 min for 2 or 4 h at intervals of one month for a year. Under both natural and experimental conditions, LH concentrations were high from January to March, but in the experimental conditions they decreased between April and May-June, whereas in the natural conditions they increased. Plasma LH concentration was lowest between July and November in animals under natural photoperiod, whereas under 8 h light:16 h dark photoperiod a second increase in plasma LH occurred between August and September. Between March and August, concentrations of plasma testosterone increased under natural photoperiod, whereas under experimental photoperiod there was a biphasic pattern of plasma testosterone with peaks between February and May and between September and November. Under natural photoperiod, antlers were cast in November, 369 +/- 6 days after the previous antlers were cast. Under experimental photoperiod, antlers were cast after 193 +/- 10 days, and a new set developed. The sexual cycle of the male appears to be initiated by an endogenous rhythm in winter and is then maintained by hormonal changes resulting from increasing photoperiod in spring.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Amplitude of the plasma melatonin nycthemeral rhythms is not associated with the dates of onset and offset of the seasonal ovulatory activity in the Ile-de-France ewe

We investigated if absolute (nocturnal) or relative (nocturnal/diurnal ratio) plasma melatonin concentrations were associated with the seasonal ovulatory activity in Ile-de-France ewes. Ninety-six and 121 ewes in two different groups of the same flock were used to determine the potential existence of a relationship between melatonin concentrations at the summer and winter solstices, and the dates of onset and offset of the ovulatory activity, respectively. The dates of the first and last ovulations were estimated by assaying progesterone in plasma samples taken once weekly. Mean +/- SEM (1) plasma melatonin concentrations at the summer solstice and at the winter solstice were 302.4 +/- 19.4 and 412.0 +/- 18.7 pg x mL(-1), respectively, (2) date of onset of the breeding season 29 Jul. +/- 1.6 days, (3) date of offset of the breeding season 24 Jan. +/- 2.2 days. In spite of a large variability in the different traits studied here, the analyses of correlation and regression indicated that neither the absolute nor relative melatonin concentrations were significantly related with the dates of onset or offset of ovulatory activity. Therefore, we concluded that absolute or relative plasma melatonin concentrations are not linked to the seasonal breeding activity, in Ile-de-France ewes.     

Seasonal regulation of reproduction: altered role of melatonin under naturalistic conditions in hamsters

The seasonal reproductive cycle of photoperiodic rodents is conceptualized as a series of discrete melatonin-dependent neuroendocrine transitions. Least understood is the springtime restoration of responsiveness to winter-like melatonin signals (breaking of refractoriness) that enables animals to once again respond appropriately to winter photoperiods the following year. This has been posited to require many weeks of long days based on studies employing static photoperiods instead of the annual pattern of continually changing photoperiods under which these mechanisms evolved. Maintaining Siberian hamsters under simulated natural photoperiods, we demonstrate that winter refractoriness is broken within six weeks after the spring equinox. We then test whether a history of natural photoperiod exposure can eliminate the requirement for long-day melatonin signalling. Hamsters pinealectomized at the spring equinox and challenged 10 weeks later with winter melatonin infusions exhibited gonadal regression, indicating that refractoriness was broken. A photostimulatory effect on body weight is first observed in the last four weeks of winter. Thus, the seasonal transition to the summer photosensitive phenotype is triggered prior to the equinox without exposure to long days and is thereafter melatonin-independent. Distinctions between photoperiodic and circannual seasonal organization erode with the incorporation in the laboratory of ecologically relevant day length conditions.     

The timing of neuroendocrine sexual maturity in the male lamb by photoperiod

In spring-born female lambs, the long days of summer, followed by their gradual decrease, provide the seasonal cue necessary to time puberty to early autumn (approximately 30 wk of age). Male lambs begin spermatogenesis during mid-summer, some 20 wk before puberty occurs in females. Unlike young female lambs, male lambs attain puberty at the same age under a variety of photoperiodic manipulations, raising the possibility that sexual maturation in males is not affected by photoperiod. We have reinvestigated the role of photoperiod on puberty in the male lamb, using a more precise indicator of reproductive activation--the decreased sensitivity of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis to inhibitory steroid feedback leading to increased LH secretion. To test whether photoperiod can influence the onset of neuroendocrine sexual maturation in male lambs, this study compared the timing of the decrease in sensitivity to inhibitory steroid feedback in two groups of males under opposite photoperiodic conditions. Eight males were reared indoors from 2 wk of age under conditions simulating the natural increasing and decreasing day lengths around the summer solstice; an additional 7 males were exposed to a reversed simulated natural photoperiod in which the changes in day length were amplified and accelerated relative to outdoor conditions. Both groups of lambs were castrated and received s.c. implants of Silastic estradiol capsules to provide a constant steroid feedback signal. The timing of reduction in sensitivity to estradiol negative feedback, measured as a sustained increase in circulating of LH above 1.0 ng/ml, was used to define neuroendocrine sexual maturity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Timing of puberty and synchronization of seasonal rhythms by simulated natural photoperiods in female Siberian hamsters

The timing of puberty is a critical life history trait of short-lived species; spring-born individuals mature rapidly and breed in the season of birth, whereas young born in mid- to late summer delay puberty until the next spring. The cues that govern the transition from rapid to delayed maturation in natural populations remain unknown. To identify ecologically relevant photoperiod cues that control timing of puberty, we monitored nine cohorts of female Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) born every 2 wk from 4 wk before to 12 wk after the summer solstice in a simulated natural photoperiod (SNP). Hamsters born by the summer solstice underwent rapid somatic growth and achieved puberty that summer; among females born 2-4 wk after the solstice, some delayed puberty by many weeks, whereas others manifested early puberty. Hamsters born 6 or more weeks after the solstice generally delayed puberty until the following spring. The transition from accelerated to delayed pubertal development in the SNP occurred at day lengths that induce early puberty when presented as static photoperiods. Despite differences in timing of birth and timing of puberty, fall and subsequent spring seasonal events occurred at similar calendar dates in all cohorts. We found no evidence that prenatal photoperiod history influenced postnatal development of female hamsters. Considered together with a parallel study on males, the present findings point to sex differences in responsiveness to natural photoperiod variations. In both sexes, incrementally changing photoperiods exert a strong organizing effect on seasonal rhythms.     

The development of photorefractoriness in termination of the breeding season in the tropical brahminy myna: role of photoperiod

Gonads of brahminy myna (Sturnus pagodarum) spontaneously regress in July/August when the daylength is still stimulatory. Experiments were conducted to investigate if photoperiod was involved in the timing of gonadal regression and if photorefractoriness terminated the breeding season in this species. The observations obtained in the present study clearly show that: i) increasing photoperiods of spring/summer programmed for eventual gonadal regression in the late summer; ii) the birds developed photorefractoriness to all stimulatory daylengths and consequently the breeding season could not be extended by providing more stimulatory photoperiods; and iii) exposure to short daylength treatment failed to overcome the onset of refractoriness in birds after they had attained full gonadal growth and development. These results suggest that refractoriness is a process used by the brahminy myna to terminate the breeding season, and that this species becomes totally photorefractory.     

Ovulatory activity and plasma prolactin concentrations in wild and domestic ewes exposed to artificial photoperiods between the winter and summer solstices

Mouflon and domestic Manchega sheep differ in the timing of their reproductive season under natural photoperiod (NP) conditions. This study examines whether they also differ in their reproductive responses to artificial photoperiod cues. For this, mouflons (n=24) and ewes (n=24) were exposed between the winter and summer solstices to artificial long days (LD: 16 h light/day), to short days (SD) simulated via the use of melatonin implants, or to NP conditions (controls), and their ovulatory activity monitored. The effects of these treatments on annual changes in prolactin concentration were also recorded. In the LD mouflon ewes, the offset and onset (7 March ± 5 and 2 October ± 4, respectively) of cyclic ovulatory activity occurred earlier (P<0.001) than in the NP animals (26 April ± 6 and 20 October ± 2, respectively), but no differences were seen (P>0.05) between the SD and NP mouflon ewes in either the onset of anoestrus (12 May ± 6 and 26 April ± 6, respectively) or the onset of subsequent ovulatory activity (13 October ± 8 and 20 October ± 2, respectively); however the duration of the anoestrus period was significantly reduced in the SD. In LD Manchega ewes, the onset of anoestrus was advanced (2 February ± 5 vs 15 March ± 11), but ovulatory activity started at the same time as in NP Manchega ewes (16 July ± 4 vs 5 July ± 8). In the SD Manchega ewes, two animals showed continuous cyclic ovulatory activity over the course of the experiment while the remainder entered anoestrus two months later (16 May ± 6, P<0.001) than their NP counterparts. In these SD ewes, the onset of cyclic ovarian activity was very variable. An annual rhythm of plasma prolactin concentration was seen in both the mouflon and Manchega ewes under all three photoperiod conditions. However, the amplitudes of the changes seen in prolactin concentration were smaller in both the LD and SD animals than in the corresponding NP animals (P<0.001). In conclusion, the results show that these two types of Mediterranean sheep differ in their ovulatory response when subjected to artificial photoperiods. The results also suggest that refractoriness to SDs may be the most important physiological mechanism regulating the onset of anoestrus in highly seasonal breeds, but not in less seasonal breeds.     

Short day length alone does not inhibit spermatogenesis in the seasonally breeding four-striped field mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio).

This study was an examination of the effect of photoperiod on spermatogenesis and the accessory glands of the four-striped field mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio), a seasonally breeding rodent that occurs through Southern Africa. Adult scrotal males were exposed to either short day length (10L:14D), long day length (14L:10D), or natural photoperiod in constant-environment rooms (25 degrees C, 41% humidity; food and water ad libitum) for 8 wk in late summer, when males in the wild were spermatogenically active, and in mid-winter, when they were inactive. In neither experiment did prolonged exposure to short day length or naturally decreasing day length inhibit spermatogenic activity, and we conclude that the normal cessation of spermatogenesis that occurs in most male four-striped field mice in winter is not stimulated by day length alone.     

补光对越冬灰仓鼠体重、主要器官指数及精子数量的影响

目的研究补光对灰仓鼠(Cricetulus migratorus)越冬时脏器器官的影响。方法室温下将其分为自然光照组和补充光照组,分别在第0、30、48和150天时测定动物的体重和脏器器官的重量,应用涂片法检查精子的数量。结果自然光照时,精子数量在冬至时变化不大,但冬至后第18天,灰仓鼠的睾丸系数降到最低值,精子数量仅为422枚,第150天时恢复到正常繁殖状态,精子数量达到7440枚。其他脏器指数在冬至时最高,第150天时最低。补充光照后,雌雄鼠体重高峰值时间均比自然光照组提前100 d,各器官指数变化与体重变化情况相类似,但睾丸和子宫系数维持稳定,精子数量未发现减少。结论在自然光照时越冬灰仓鼠的脏器指数逐渐下降,第150天时脏器指数达至最高值,睾丸指数在冬至后第18天下降到最低值,处于非繁殖状态。补充光照后,越冬灰仓鼠的精子数量和子宫指数变化不大,一直维持繁殖状态。     

Endocrine regulations of reproductive seasonality, follicular development and incubation in Magang geese

This study investigated the regulatory mechanisms of seasonal breeding, developments of ovarian follicles and incubation in Magang geese, a short day breeding bird. Throughout the year, plasma PRL concentrations increased in non-breeding season in spring and summer (from April to early August), and remained low in the rest of the year, while LH concentrations peaked in August and September and remained low in non-breeding season (March to June). Lengthening photoperiod increased PRL and decreased LH secretions, which inhibited follicular development, terminated lay and induced moulting, while shortening photoperiod decreased PRL and increased LH secretion and reinitiated lay. Long photoperiod stimulated PRL secretion occurred with increased gene expressions of PRL in the pituitary gland and VIP in the hypothalamus, but inhibition of LH secretion was without decreases in gene expressions of LH beta subunit and GnRH. Under breeding conditions, terminating incubation decreased PRL but increased LH concentrations and resumed lay in 24 days following recruitment of about 10 large white follicles into hierarchical development. Plasma concentrations of progesterone and inhibin peaked at peak lay, whereas LH concentrations exhibited a bi-phasic pattern with troughs at peak lay and incubation when PRL concentrations were high. Ninety percent geese exhibited incubation behaviour after laying one clutch of approximately eight eggs in approximately 30 days. In conclusion the seasonal reproductive activities in Magang geese is directly inhibited by long photoperiod and directly stimulated by short photoperiod via PRL and LH secretions, whose interplays also cause occurrences of four to five lay and incubation cycles in the breeding season.