Evidence from plasma progesterone concentrations for male-induced ovulation in the brush-tailed bettong, Bettongia penicillata.

Female brush-tailed bettongs, Bettongia penicillata, were housed with either an intact or vasectomized male or isolated from males in the peripartum period. Development of the quiescent corpus luteum formed at the post partum oestrus was initiated by removing the pouch young. Blood samples for analysis of plasma progesterone were collected from the females 2 days before removal of pouch young, daily for 5 or 6 days and then 2-3 times each week until 19 days after removal of pouch young. Plasma progesterone profiles were similar in pregnant and nonpregnant cycles. There was an early progesterone peak (1206 +/- 121 pg ml-1, mean +/- SEM; n = 16) between days 2 and 5 after removal of pouch young, and a second period of high concentrations (greater than 800 pg ml-1) before birth on day 17.4 +/- 0.2 (n = 16). The interval between the early peak and birth was 14 or 15 days. On five of 34 occasions, no increases in plasma progesterone concentrations occurred after removal of pouch young. On 12 of 15 occasions for 13 females that had been isolated from males post partum, plasma progesterone concentrations also remained low (less than 100 pg ml-1) and did not change after removal of pouch young. Females that showed no increases in plasma progesterone concentration after removal of pouch young had significantly lower (P less than 0.001) plasma progesterone concentrations while lactating than those females that did undergo a cycle after removal of pouch young (60 +/- 4 pg ml-1, n = 17 and 225 +/- 23 pg ml-1, n = 30, respectively). Females isolated from males post partum, and monitored until day 12 after removal of the pouch young, and that showed no increases in progesterone in this period, had ovaries that contained no corpus luteum, only corpora albicantia and numerous atretic or developing follicles. We conclude that brush-tailed bettongs are induced ovulators, a characteristic described for only one other marsupial, Monodelphis domestica, from South America.     

Long-term effects of accelerated or delayed sexual maturation on reproductive output in wild female house mice (Mus musculus)

The effects of acceleration and delay of puberty in female house mice on survival and reproduction were tested using 6 experimental groups: (1) control females mated at the time of first oestrus, (2) females mated at weaning, (3) females treated with male urine starting at weaning and mated at first oestrus, (4) females housed in groups and mated at first oestrus, (5) females housed alone, treated with urine from grouped females and mated at first oestrus, and (6) females housed alone and mated at 68 days of age. Females caged with males at weaning or treated with male urine and mated at puberty had lower rates of survival to 180 days of age, but did not differ in rates of fertility from mice in the other four treatments. Those females that were housed with males from weaning or treated with male urine also had smaller total numbers of litters, fewer total young, and smaller average litter sizes than did females for which the age of mating was delayed, by grouping or treatment with urine from grouped females, or by being held until age 68 days before mating. Control females mated at first oestrus generally were intermediate or did not differ from the male treatments on these dependent variables. There were no differences in the average number of female young/litter across the 6 treatments. However, females that were delayed in age of first mating had significantly more male young/litter than did females that were accelerated in their sexual development or control females.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Pouch young removal and return to oestrus in wild southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons)

The southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) is a seasonal breeding, burrowing marsupial adapted to a semi-arid environment and the closest relative of the endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii). Females typically give birth to one to two young every 3 years with young weaned at 360-400 days. This study examined the occurrence of polyoestry in a wild population of southern hairy-nosed wombats, and in particular the ability of this species to produce additional offspring in the same breeding season if a young was prematurely lost or removed. Pouch young were removed during the breeding seasons of 1996/1997 and 2003. No females from the 1996 (n=3)/1997 (n=3) group gave birth to a second pouch young in the same breeding season. However, two females in this group gave birth to young the following season. In contrast, all the 2003 group of females (n=6) produced a second offspring in the same breeding season after removal of pouch young (RPY). The reason for the different response to RPY between the two groups is unknown. These studies confirm that southern hairy-nosed wombats are polyoestrus in the wild and are capable of producing more than one offspring in a single breeding season. Females that failed to return to oestrus in the breeding season that pouch young were removed bred again in the following season. Rapid replacement of southern hairy-nosed wombat pouch young in the same breeding season as RPY suggests that this procedure, linked to either hand-rearing or interspecific cross-fostering, should be seriously considered as a priority conservation action to increase the population size of the critically endangered sister species, the northern hairy-nosed wombat.     

Investigations on the Olfactory Discrimination Exhibited by the Females in the Male-induced Implantation Failure (the Bruce Effect) in Laboratory Mice

Direct contact with the alien male pheromone for 7 days before mating significantly decreased the rate of male-induced implantation failure (the Bruce effect) in newly inseminated female mice. By contrast, females housed with alien males for 7 days before mating so that physical contact with the latter was prevented exhibited a high rate of implantation failure following exposure to alien males after mating. Exposure to an air-borne pheromone produced by alien males induced oestrus (the Whitten effect) in a significant number of grouped females. The results do not support the suggestion that the inability of the stud male to block implantation is due to his original induction of oestrus. The results also do not support the view that the key factor in the induction of the Bruce effect is the ability of the female to identify the stud as an individual which prevents her from responding to him but allows her to react to a new male with hormonal changes leading to implantation failure and return to oestrus. It is suggested that the olfactory discrimination exhibited by the female in the Bruce effect is influenced by her overall olfactory experience before and after mating. The results are consistent with the view that the male-originating pheromone involved in the Bruce effect is distinct from the one involved in the Whitten effect.     

Studies of the oestrous cycle, oestrus and pregnancy in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

As an integral part of the development of an artificial insemination programme in the captive koala, female reproductive physiology and behaviour were studied. The oestrous cycle in non-mated and mated koalas was characterized by means of behavioural oestrus, morphology of external genitalia and changes in the peripheral plasma concentrations of oestradiol and progestogen. The mean (+/- SEM) duration of the non-mated oestrous cycle and duration of oestrus in 12 koalas was 32.9 +/- 1.1 (n = 22) and 10.3 +/- 0.9 (n = 24) days, respectively. Although the commencement of oestrous behaviour was associated with increasing or high concentrations of oestradiol, there were no consistent changes in the morphology or appearance of the clitoris, pericloacal region, pouch or mammary teats that could be used to characterize the non-mated cycle. As progestogen concentrations remained at basal values throughout the interoestrous period, non-mated cycles were considered non-luteal and presumed anovulatory. After mating of the 12 koalas, six females gave birth with a mean (+/- SEM) gestation of 34.8 +/- 0.3 days, whereas the remaining six non-parturient females returned to oestrus 49.5 +/- 1. 0 days later. After mating, oestrous behaviour ceased and the progestogen profile showed a significant increase in both pregnant and non-parturient females, indicating that a luteal phase had been induced by the physical act of mating. Progestogen concentrations throughout the luteal phase of the pregnant females were significantly higher than those of non-parturient females. Parturition was associated with a decreasing concentration of progestogen, which was increased above that of basal concentrations until 7 days post partum.     

The effect of pregnancy on the interval between one oestrus and the next in the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii.

In females mated to vasectomized males the interval between oestrous periods was 30.6 +/- 1.17 (s.d.) days but when mated to intact males and pregnancy intervened, it was 29. +/- 1.26 days (P less than 0.0025). After removal of pouch young, females carrying diapausing blastocysts gave birth 26.2 days later and came into oestrus 26.4 +/- 0.57 (s.d.) days later. When post-partum fertilization was prevented, removal of pouch young was followed by oestrus 30.4 +/- 0.99 days later (P less than 0.0005). These results indicate an influence of the conceptus upon the oestrous cycle of Macropus eugenii.     

Effects of photoperiod and endogenous control on timing of reproduction in the marsupial genus Antechinus

The timing of reproduction was investigated and compared in natural pop ulations and laboratory colonies of three species of dasyurid marsupials, Antechinus stuartii, A. swainsonii and A. flavipes. In the natural populations, reproductive events occurred only during the austral winter (July-September), and began at almost exactly the same time each year. The mating period lasted–3 weeks, and coincided with the onset of pouch changes (oestrus) in females. In males, spermatozoa appeared in the urine up to five weeks before the first matings occurred, but sexual activity tended to be suppressed during this time by female aggression. In the laboratory colonies, most individuals were paired (females with males) and housed under 12L: 12D or ambient light. Irrespective of the light regime, all first-year animals entered reproductive condition at the same time or only slightly earlier than those in the natural populations. However, in females housed for two years under 12L: 12D, oestrus occurred–5 weeks earlier, on average, than in field individuals, and–5 weeks earlier than in equivalent individuals housed under ambient light. Males again achieved reproductive condition before females, and may have stimulated and helped to synchronize oestrus. These findings showed that the timing of reproduction is controlled by an endogenous circannual rhythm, which is probably entrained by some component of the photoperiod. The timing mechanism ensures that all young are nursed and weaned in spring and summer when food is most predictably abundant, and hence maximizes individual reproductive success.     

Reproductive inhibition in the Cape porcupine, Hystrix africaeaustralis

Sexually mature female Cape porcupines kept under natural conditions of illumination and temperature did not conceive while housed within their natal groups. Before removal from their natal groups the sexually mature offspring copulated and experienced cyclic ovarian activity, but conception occurred only 70-120 days after dispersal. Mean oestrous cycle length of these females (36.9 +/- 11.5 days; n = 34) was similar to that of breeding females (33.0 +/- 11.64 days; n = 16), but mean peak plasma progesterone concentration (6.45 +/- 6.03 ng/ml; n = 34) was significantly (P less than 0.01) lower than that of cyclic breeding females (13.58 +/- 6.98 ng/ml; n = 16). Mean progesterone concentration at oestrus in non-breeding females (0.72 +/- 0.45 ng/ml; n = 34) was also significantly (P less than 0.01) lower than that of non-pregnant breeding females (4.21 +/- 2.44 ng/ml; n = 16). Reproductive inhibition within natal groups, in which only one female reproduces, therefore cannot be ascribed to a failure to copulate, but may be due to some factor inhibiting full expression of luteal activity or affecting ovulation.     

Gestational length in the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus

We report a possible case of extended gestation in the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus. Birth of a pouch young was first observed 127 days after the removal of the male from a multi-female colony at Taronga Zoo. No other males were present at that time or had access to the facility. Head measurements and other growth data collected at the time of detection and over the period of pouch life indicates the time from removal of the male and the date of birth to be between 50 and 77 days. DNA fingerprinting using microsatellite loci unambiguously assigned paternity of the pouch young to this male.

These observations suggest either an extended period of gestation of at least 50 days, or activation of a dormant blastocyst from the previous breeding season, as the female entered the period of seasonal oestrus.     

Reproductive biology of the Red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus banksianus) and Bennett's wallaby (M. r. rufogriseus) in captivity

Bennett's wallaby ( Macropus r. rufogriseus ) of Tasmania give birth from late January to early August in marked contrast to the Red-necked wallaby ( M. r. banksianus ) of mainland south-eastern Australia which produced young in all months. Within the breeding season however, the lengths of the oestrous cycle and gestation period are similar in the two forms and did not differ by more than 0.5 days. The gestation period of about 30 days extended to almost the length of the oestrous cycle of approximately 33 days. Birth was closely followed by mating which normally resulted in fertilization and subsequent embryonic diapause. Renewed blastocyst development was initiated by removal or loss of a pouch young and birth followed about 27 days later.
Unlike other macropodids with a similar breeding pattern, birth, as a result of renewed blastocyst development near the end of a large young's pouch life, did not occur within a day or two of the permanent emergence of the young, but followed 16 to 29 days later. In M. r. rufogriseus , young that left the pouch permanently in the non-breeding period were not replaced by new young until the beginning of the next breeding season two to four months later, and blastocysts resulting from mating of females without pouch young at the end of the breeding season remained quiescent until the next breeding season five to eight months later.
Females of both subspecies first mated at an age of about 14 months, and males were producing mature spermatozoa by about 19 months.
Young first left the pouch for short periods at about 230 days of age and permanently at about 280 days.
Observations are also given on reproductive behaviour, interpretation of vaginal smears, sex ratio of young, selection of teat by pouch young, and development of morphological features in known-age young that may be used as an aid in age determination.     

圈养条件下金钱豹交配行为的初步观察

2005年3月至2006年3月,采取所有事件取样法,对成都动物园5只(2雄,3雌)圈养金钱豹(Panthera pardu)进行观察,旨在了解圈养金钱豹的交配情况。记录交配行为1 174次。结果显示,圈养金钱豹全年皆可发情。具有明显的交配模式,交配姿势仅有一种,为背腹式。平均交配持续天数为(4.75±1.26)d。昼夜都有交配行为,但白天交配次数较夜间多。日交配的高峰发生在08:00～10:00时,不同的雄性个体出现的交配高峰日不同。平均交配持续时间为(7.48±1.22)s。在交配持续时间(P=0.000)、总交配次数(P=0.04)上,不同的雄性个体间存在显著性差异;而同一雄性在与不同雌性交配时,其持续时间无显著差异。金钱豹交配的特点为,交配的频次多,但每次交配持续时间短。     

Reproduction in a laboratory colony of the pouched mouse, Saccostomus campestris

Pouched mice ovulate spontaneously and have a 4-day cycle (3-5 days). The variation was caused by prolonged oestrus. The vagina opened at about 34 days of age and the first oestrus was experienced at 44 days of age. Females experienced several sterile cycles before their first conception, which occurred at an age of about 56 days. The gestation period in most cases was 21 days and implantation occurred about 4-5 days after mating. The females were not receptive post partum. Litter size varied from 3 to 13 with a mean of 7.1 in young primiparous females and 7.9 in adult multiparous females, indicating that fecundity did not increase with age or parity in this species. Mortality of young was highest during the first 2 days post partum. The young were not attached to the nipples and were weaned at 25 days of age. Females did not cycle during lactation. After lactation most females exhibited one or two oestrous cycles without mating or became oestrous and mated without conceiving, resulting in a litter interval of about 53 days.     

Reactivation of the quiescent corpus luteum and diapausing embryo after temporary removal of the sucking stimulus in the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

Pouch young of wallabies presumed to be carrying diapausing blastocysts were removed from the teat for times varying between 24 and 96 h and then returned to the same teat. The mothers were monitored for termination of diapause and checked for births or oestrus. In this way we were able to determine the critical time required to reactivate the quiescent corpus luteum and diapausing blastocyst after withdrawal of the sucking stimulus. When pouch young were removed from the teat for 76-96 h the corpus luteum and blastocyst were reactivated, with birth and/or oestrus occurring in 10/11 animals. When pouch young were removed for 72 h or less (n = 22) reactivation did not take place. We conclude that it takes longer than 72 h for the maternal endocrine system to become committed to reactivation. The precise sequence of endocrine events which precede blastocyst reactivation still remains to be determined.     

The effect of pregnant and oestrous females on male testosterone and behaviour in the tammar wallaby

Tammar wallaby females (Macropus eugenii) are seasonally breeding marsupials with a post-partum oestrus after a highly synchronised birth period when testosterone concentrations rise in males. Chemical communication appears to be important for mating, as males show checking behaviour, sniffing the urogenital opening (UGO) and the pouch of females. This study investigates whether the presence of pregnant and oestrous females directly influences testosterone in males and if oestrous odours or secretion from the pouch or UGO are attractive. Concentrations of plasma testosterone were measured in males housed with pregnant and oestrous females during two consecutive cycles in the breeding season, and an artificially induced cycle in the non-breeding season. Males were also tested for their interest in swabs taken from the urogenital opening (UGO) or pouch of oestrous females. Testosterone increased sharply in males in the presence of pregnant and oestrous females during all cycles in both seasons, but there was no change when males were exposed to non-cycling females in lactational or seasonal diapause. Males had no preference for either oestrous or non-oestrous samples taken from the pouch or from the UGO from oestrous females. This study confirms that the increase in plasma testosterone in tammar males can be induced through the presence of pregnant and oestrous females, regardless of season and that the increase began when the females were in late-pregnancy. This confirms that the male's reproductive state is dependent on a signal from females and is not blocked through seasonal effects.     

Behavioural aspects of the raccoon mating system: determinants of consortship success

We monitored raccoons Procyon lotor, in southern Texas during the 1990-1992 mating seasons to describe mating behaviour and identify factors affecting consortship success. During most of this study, raccoons were spatially aggregated, with female home ranges congregated around permanent water sources and larger home ranges of male groups encompassing each female group. Consortship success varied among males and ranged from zero to six females per male within a mating season. Individual females consorted with one to four different males during an oestrous period; however, most (62%) females consorted with only one male during their oestrus. Dominance through overt conflict appeared to influence male consortship success. During two mating seasons, one male from each group consorted with females on more days than all other males combined. Body weight of males was positively correlated with number of consortship days. As synchrony of oestrus increased, variance in number of consortship days among males decreased, and access to oestrous females increased for subordinate males. Wounding among males increased during the mating season, and was more frequent for males than for females. The mating system, as determined by consortship behaviour, appeared to shift between polygyny and promiscuity, and possibly varied annually as a result of the timing of oestrous cycles. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

The effect of a progesterone (P4) intravaginal device (CIDR) on resynchronisation of oestrus and embryonic loss in previously timed inseminated dairy heifers

A study was done to evaluate the effect of using progesterone (P4) intravaginal device (CIDR: controlled internal drug-releasing dispenser) to synchronise the return to oestrus of previously timed inseminated (TAI) dairy heifers, and to evaluate embryo survival and pregnancy rate (PR) in the return to oestrus heifers. At the onset of the artificial insemination (AI) breeding period (day -9), heifers were randomly assigned into two groups (treated group CGPG, n = 79) and (control group GPG, n = 83). Every heifer in both groups was injected with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist and prostaglandin F2-alpha (PGF2α) as follows: GnRH on day -9; PGF2α on day -2; GnRH and TAI on day 0. Heifers in both groups received TAI within 30 min after the second GnRH injection. Artificial insemination at first breeding was conducted for all heifers during 55 days from day 0. On day 14 after timed insemination, every heifer in the CGPG group received CIDR device for 6 days. Within 3 days after CIDR removal, more heifers in CGPG group showed oestrus within 1.9 days compared to heifers that showed oestrus within 2.9 days in the control. Within 10 days after CIDR removal, more heifers in the CGPG group showed oestrus within 2.4 days compared to heifers that showed oestrus within 6.7 days in the control. PRs on days 30 and 55 were not different between both groups, while PR on day 55 during September were higher (P = 0.032) in CGPG group (58.0%) than GPG group (37.0%). In addition, PR from first to second AI was higher (P = 0.037) for CGPG group (79.8%) than for GPG group (65.1%) but it was similar after that. Pregnancy losses between days 30 and 55 tended to be lower (P = 0.089) for the CGPG group (12.7%) compared to 25.1% for the GPG group. Interval between first and second AI was lower (P = 0.052) for the CGPG group (27.5 ± 1.6 days) compared to 31.6 ± 1.3 days for heifers in the GPG group but no differences were detected for intervals from second to third AI and from third to fourth AI between the two groups. Number of services per pregnancy was not different between CGPG and GPG groups. Results indicate that the CIDR device improved synchronisation to return to oestrus and increased PR to first AI during high temperature months by reducing embryonic losses.     

Genetic analysis of the mating system of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New Zealand farmland

We examined male reproductive success in a common brushtail possum population in New Zealand farmland. Paternity was assigned to 66 of 91 pouch young (maternity known), using a likelihood approach applied to genotypes at six microsatellite loci having an overall average exclusion probability of around 99%. The distribution of number of offspring per male was L-shaped with a standardized variance of 1.52. At least 46% of the 76 sampled reproductively mature males, bred, siring between one and four offspring each. Although breeding males were on average older and larger than nonbreeding males, the small differences did not result in a significant overall difference between the two groups in a multivariate permutation test analagous to a t-test. Paternity analysis of 22 sibling pairs (resulting from experimental removal of pouch young early in the breeding season, inducing a second oestrous) suggested that sequential mating of females with the same male was uncommon ( approximately 16-27%). Whilst there was a tendency for female possums to mate with nearby males, consistent with previous observations of territorial mating behaviour in Australian populations, some interhabitat matings were also inferred. The study population displayed only a low degree of polygyny, which may in part reflect population and habitat characteristics of the study site. A comprehensive understanding of the mating system of Trichosurus vulpecula awaits genetic paternity analysis in additional populations from both Australia and New Zealand, using quantitative approaches undertaken in this study.     

Assessment of recovery from hyperbaric-induced subfertility in male mice

This study was designed to investigate whether subfertility in male mice produced by exposure to high pressures of heliox showed any recovery. Male mice were exposed to 50 ATA heliox (controls exposed to 1 ATA air) during one spermatogenic cycle; subsequently each male was housed with 10 untreated females. After 14 days males were removed and housed with 10 more females. This was repeated four times. Male libido, pregnancy rate, pre- or early implantation loss, and fetal survival were determined for each mating. Results showed that all variables were significantly reduced in the pressure group during the first mating, but there were differing rates of recovery. Male libido was consistently reduced (12%) and showed no recovery trend. Pregnancy rate showed continuing improvement throughout all matings but did not reach control levels after 8 wk. Pre/early implantation loss and fetal survival had returned to control values by the fourth mating. These data suggest that pressure-induced subfertility is largely reversible, and at least two separate events contribute to it.     

Pregnancy in female house mice exposed to urinary chemosignals from other females.

Seven experiments were performed to investigate pregnancy termination, urinary chemosignals, and litter sex ratio variation in female house mice. Experiments tested the effects of urine from adult and prepubertal females, housed individually or in groups, on successful insemination and litter production by females treated at different times and for different periods during the 3 weeks before mating and during gestation. Treatment of females with urine from adult females housed eight per cage or with urine pooled from eight adult females housed individually for 2 or 3 weeks before mating resulted in fewer successful pregnancies and significantly more female-biased litters. Treatment with urine from adult or prepubertal females housed eight per cage or with urine pooled from eight mice housed individually for the first 6 days of gestation or throughout pregnancy resulted in a significant increase in the rate of pregnancy termination. These treatments resulted in lower body weights at birth and slower growth rates in all males and in some females. Puberty was delayed in female progeny from urine-treated dams in five of seven experiments, and these young females attained first oestrus at greater mean body weights than mice in other treatments. These findings indicate that, in mice, at high population density, communication via a urinary chemosignal can alter reproduction in recipient females. Availability of, and competition for, resources such as food would be greater at higher densities, possibly lowering the probability of reproductive success. Pregnancy termination and delays in reproduction and attainment of sexual maturity might lead to greater successful reproduction at a later time.     

Dynamics of male residence and female oestrus during a breeding season of blue monkeys in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya

Blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni) are seasonal breeders with a dynamic mating system in which typical one‐male social units are regularly disrupted and replaced by multi‐male ones. The number of males in the group is correlated with the number of oestrous females. We used observations of male presence and female oestrus on individual days during a 6‐month period to assess whether the presence of multiple males in a group stimulates female oestrus or whether oestrous females attract multiple males to the group. We confirmed prior observations with our finding that the number of males in a group was significantly correlated (r_s = 0.435, P < 0.0001) with the number of oestrous females across 126 observation days. A transition matrix did not show an obvious relationship between day‐to‐day changes in the numbers of oestrous females and males. However, cross‐correlation analysis provided stronger support for the idea that the number of oestrous females attracts males to a group than for the idea that the influx of strange males stimulates oestrus in female blue monkeys. Autocorrelation analysis showed that while female oestrus appeared to show a high degree of synchrony, as expected in a seasonal breeder, there was no evidence that the number of males accompanying a group of females influenced the likelihood of other males joining or leaving the group. Overall, our results confirm that female oestrous behaviour stimulates changes in male residence patterns. However, other observations suggest that changes in male residence may also stimulate female oestrus in some circumstances.