Conceiving Reproduction: New Reproductive Technologies and the Redefinition of the Kinship Narrative in New Zealand Society

This paper focuses on technologies for assisting conception and considers how normative notions of conception and family formation have informed the rejection, incorporation and adaptation of technologies and their regulation in New Zealand. Drawing on a textual analysis of primary written materials and secondary sources generated between 1965 and 2004, the paper reveals how these technologies help various groups in New Zealand society make explicit their understandings of relatedness, identity and social and cultural belonging. Whilst biological/genetic connection and social connections inform understandings of kinship, reproduction, parenthood and social structure for many New Zealanders, the boundaries between the biological and social are often blurred and precedence of one over the other is very much context dependent. The incorporation of the new reproductive technologies has been an inherently politicised process, with barriers to access to these technologies emerging in relation to ethnic identity and race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, gender, and marital status.     

Economic consequences of reproductive performance in dairy cattle

The net economic value of reproductive efficiency in dairy cattle was estimated using a stochastic dynamic simulation model. The objective was to compare the economic consequences of reproductive performance scenarios (“average” and “poor”) of a cow having a good reproductive performance and to explore which reproductive factors have an important impact on economic efficiency. A “good” reproductive performance scenario was defined with 1 ovulation rate (POVU_i), 0.7 estrus detection rate (PEst), 0.7 conception rate (PCon), 0.03 incidence rate of postpartum disorders prolonging the ovarian cyclicity (CO), 0.2 incidence rate of postpartum disorders reducing conception (ME), 0.05 embryonic death rate (ED), and voluntary waiting period (VWP) of 9 wks pp (post partum). In the current situation of dairy cows in the Netherlands, an “average” reproductive scenario (0.95 POVU_i, 0.5 PEst, 0.5 Pcon, 0.07 CO, 0.27 ME, 0.07 ED and VWP of 12 wks pp) and a “poor” reproductive scenario (0.90 POVU_i, 0.3 PEst, 0.3 Pcon, 0.11 CO, 0.33 ME, 0.09 ED and VWP of 15 wks pp) were identified. A sensitivity analysis was performed by comparing changes of single effect of factors in a good and poor scenario with the average scenario. The mean net economic loss (NEL_i) compared with the good scenario was €34 and €231 per cow per year for the average and poor reproductive performance scenario, respectively. Increasing the calving interval resulted in greater economic loss. The important factors on the cost of reproductive efficiency were the involuntary culling cost and the return of milk production. Variation in PCon, PEst, ME, ED, and VWP had large impacts on economic benefits.     

Photonic characteristics and ex vivo imaging of Escherichia coli-Xen14 within the bovine reproductive tract

The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize the photonic properties of Escherichia coli-Xen14 and (2) conduct photonic imaging of E. coli-Xen14 within bovine reproductive tract segments (RTS) ex vivo (Bos indicus). E. coli-Xen14 was grown for 24 h in Luria Bertani medium (LB), with or without kanamycin (KAN). Every 24 h, for an 8-d interval, inoculums were imaged and photonic emissions (PE) collected. Inoculums were subcultured and plated daily to determine the colony forming units (CFU) and ratio of photon emitters to nonemitters. In the second objective, abattoir-derived bovine reproductive tracts (n = 9) were separated into posterior and anterior vagina, cervix, uterine body, and uterine horns. Two concentrations (3.2 × 10⁸ and 3.2 × 10⁶ CFU/200 μL for relative [High] and [Low], respectively) of E. coli-Xen14 were placed in translucent tubes for detection of PE through RTS. The CFU did not differ (P = 0.31) over time with or without KAN presence; they remained stable with 99.93% and 99.98% photon emitters, respectively. However, PE were lower (P < 0.0001) in cultures containing KAN than in those containing no KAN (629.8 ± 117.7 vs. 3012.0 ± 423.5 relative lights units per second [RLU/sec], respectively). On average, the percentage of PE between RTS, for both concentrations, was higher (P < 0.05) in the uterine body. In summary, E. coli-Xen14 remained stable with respect to the proportions of photon emitters with or without KAN (used to selectively culture E. coli-Xen14). However, KAN presence suppressed photonic activity. The ability to detect PE through various segments of the reproductive tract demonstrated the feasibility of monitoring the presence of E. coli-Xen14 in the bovine reproductive tract ex vivo.     

The role of dyadic interactions in the mixed-mating strategies of the mangrove rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus

The mangrove rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus a small cyprinodont fish native to tropical and subtropical waters from Florida to Brazil, is one of two known self-fertilizing, hermaphroditic vertebrates of which K. marmoratus displays androdioecy, a complex system of reproduction in which hermaphrodites and males are present. This study describes the behavioral repertoires observed during dyadic interactions in the laboratory. Kryptolebias marmoratus exhibited 23 distinctive acts or behaviors. Acts were divided into four categories: aggressive, submissive, neutral, and reproductive. Leading and following behaviors played important roles in the behavioral repertoires of these fish. In hermaphrodite-male dyads, males exclusively initiated the reproductive process and actively pursued hermaphrodites. When hermaphrodites were paired, there was no evidence that they behaved like other simultaneous hermaphrodites that alternate sexual roles (e.g. serranids). Hermaphrodites were extremely aggressive towards one another, and the aggressor established dominance rapidly. Male-male dyads were divided into two subdivisions based on the presence or absence of the caudal ocellus on one fish. A caudal ocellus on one male appeared to signal the possibility of a potential mating partner to males lacking it. Pairings of males without an ocellus were similar to hermaphrodite-hermaphrodite dyads in that both members of the pair were aggressive towards one another. These observations may be indicative of interactions taking place in natural communities or assemblages of fish in which both males and hermaphrodites occur and provide evidence on the role of dyadic interactions in the mixed-mating strategies [Current Zoology 56 (1): 6-17, 2010].     

缙云山马尾松种群生物量生殖配置研究

 对缙云山亚热带常绿阔叶林不同演替阶段马尾松(Pinus massoniana)种群生殖器官的生物量配置进行了系统研究。结果显示从蕾期、花期到果熟期,马尾松种群生殖器官的生物量配置逐渐增加,但不同演替阶段的生殖配置格局各异。马尾松纯林各生殖阶段的生殖配置分别为1.31％,7.61％,23.25％;针阔混交林各生殖阶段的生殖配置分别为0.6％,3.29％,15.14％;林缘旷地各生殖阶段的生殖配置分别为0.76％,3.78％,18.44％。一年中缙云山马尾松种群的生殖配置动态变化呈现低一渐高一高一低的规律性。缙云山马尾松种群的生殖年龄大致可分为4个时期,即幼龄生殖期、过渡生殖期、稳定生殖期和衰退生殖期。种群密度和群落透光度与其生殖配置显著相关。     

维生素E对黄鳝繁殖性能的影响

试验采用单因子梯度设计。在试验中,维生素E设6个梯度,分别为Ⅰ0mg／kg、Ⅱ50mg／kg、Ⅲ125mg／kg、Ⅳ200mg／kg、Ⅴ275mg／kg、Ⅵ350mg／kg,前后进行175d饲养试验,以雌鳝性腺系数、产卵力、孵化率以及各组织中SOD活性、MDA含量等指标作为判据,研究了VE对雌鳝繁殖性能的影响。结果表明,随饲料中VE含量的增加,Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ组雌鳝性腺系数、产卵力和孵化率显著提高(p0．05),Ⅴ、Ⅵ组则提高不显著(p0．05),卵中VE的含量反映了饲料中VE的含量。雌鳝卵巢中SOD活性,Ⅳ、Ⅴ和Ⅵ组比Ⅰ和Ⅲ组显著低(p0．05),相应地,MDA含量Ⅳ、Ⅴ和Ⅵ组显著低于Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲ组(p0．05)Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲ组雌鱔,虽然其卵巢中SOD活性较高,但因饲料中抗氧化性的VE缺乏或不足,引发卵子脂质过氧化,MDA含量显著升高(p0．05),导致卵质低下,从而影响了卵子孵化。综上所述,雌鳝饲料中添加维生素E,能有效地改善雌鳝的繁殖性能,其最适添加量为200mg／kg。       

The importance of microclimate variation in determining size,growth and survival of avian offspring: experimental evidence from a cavity nesting passerine

Organisms are expected to balance energy allocation in such a way that fitness is maximized. While much research has focussed on allocation strategies of reproducing parents, in particular birds, relatively little attention has been paid to how nestlings allocate energy while in the nest. Nestling birds are faced with a trade-off between devoting energy to growth or to thermoregulation, and in altricial species it is likely that the thermal environment of the nest site influences the nature of this trade-off. Here, we experimentally investigate how altering the microclimate of nests affects the growth, size and survival, as well as cell-mediated immune (CMI) response, of nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) in a temperate environment. We place air-activated heating pads in nests of swallows when young were between 4 days and 16 days of age, and compared performance of offspring to control nests. Our manipulation raised temperatures of heated nests by approximately 5°C compared to control nests. Offspring in heated nests had enhanced survival while in the nest, and we also found that they were heavier and had longer ninth primary feathers at 16 days of age. In addition, heating nest boxes resulted in significantly faster growth of primaries, and there was a trend for growth rates of mass to also be higher in heated nests. There were no significant differences between heated and control nests in growth rate or size of tarsus at age 16 days, and we speculate that this lack of response to elevated nest temperatures may be due to growth of skeletal structures being limited by other factors such as calcium availability. We also found no difference between heated and control nests in CMI response. Nonetheless, our results show overall that increasing temperatures of nests has significant benefits that enhance the fitness of offspring. As provisioning rates to offspring did not differ between heated and control nests, we suspect that the beneficial effects of heating were not the consequence of changes in parental behaviour. Our results provide insight into factors, other than food supply, that have important consequences in determining reproductive success of birds breeding in temperate environments.     

The reproductive biology of the cyprinid, Thynnichthys thynnoides (Bleeker), in the Chenderoh Reservoir — a small tropical reservoir in Malaysia

The reproductive biology and breeding cycle of a tropical cyprinid, Thynnichthys thynnoides (Bleeker), from Chenderoh Reservoir, Malaysia was studied from June 1991 to November 1992. A total of 329 and 246 mature females and males and 167 immature females were sampled during the study. Three breeding cycles were observed and the cycles coincided with high reservoir water level which resulted in the floodings of the littoral zone. Five and four gonad developmental stages were observed for females and males, respectively. Oocyte diameter distribution study indicated the species was a total spawner although clutches of ripe oocytes might be released over an extended time period. Fecundity was related to body weight and both absolute and relative fecundity increased with body size. Absolute fecundity ranged from 26962 ± 1484 to 173520 ± 127420 eggs fish^–1, whereas relative fecundity ranged from 121 ± 53 to 451 ± 259 eggs g^–1 body weight, respectively.     

Maternal investment in reproduction and its consequences in leatherback turtles

Maternal investment in reproduction by oviparous non-avian reptiles is usually limited to pre-ovipositional allocations to the number and size of eggs and clutches, thus making these species good subjects for testing hypotheses of reproductive optimality models. Because leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) stand out among oviparous amniotes by having the highest clutch frequency and producing the largest mass of eggs per reproductive season, we quantified maternal investment of 146 female leatherbacks over four nesting seasons (2001–2004) and found high inter- and intra-female variation in several reproductive characteristics. Estimated clutch frequency [coefficient of variation (CV) = 31%] and clutch size (CV = 26%) varied more among females than did egg mass (CV = 9%) and hatchling mass (CV = 7%). Moreover, clutch size had an approximately threefold higher effect on clutch mass than did egg mass. These results generally support predictions of reproductive optimality models in which species that lay several, large clutches per reproductive season should exhibit low variation in egg size and instead maximize egg number (clutch frequency and/or size). The number of hatchlings emerging per nest was positively correlated with clutch size, but fraction of eggs in a clutch yielding hatchlings (emergence success) was not correlated with clutch size and varied highly among females. In addition, seasonal fecundity and seasonal hatchling production increased with the frequency and the size of clutches (in order of effect size). Our results demonstrate that female leatherbacks exhibit high phenotypic variation in reproductive traits, possibly in response to environmental variability and/or resulting from genotypic variability within the population. Furthermore, high seasonal and lifetime fecundity of leatherbacks probably reflect compensation for high and unpredictable mortality during early life history stages in this species.