Reproductive Behaviour in Survival: A Comparison between Wild and Domestic Sheep

The recorded behaviour of wild species of Ovis at the beginning of the breeding season supports the proposal that mating is synchronized by the 'ram effect', a phenomenon already described in domestic sheep. Animals separate into exclusive male flocks, and flocks of females and young animals for most of the year. They reunite just before the rutting season. At lambing there appear to be behavioural mechanisms that ensure that ewes lamb in close proximity to one another. It is hypothesized that these behavioural characteristics of wild sheep help protect the newborn and that much of the reproductive and maternal behaviour of domestic sheep may be traced to comparable behaviour in wild species.

Download Full-text

Whole-genome sequence analysis unveils different origins of European and Asiatic mouflon and domestication-related genes in sheep

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-02817-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ze-Hui Chen ◽

Ya-Xi Xu ◽

Xing-Long Xie ◽

Dong-Feng Wang ◽

Diana Aguilar-Gómez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wild Species ◽

Subsequent Development ◽

Whole Genome Sequence ◽

Domestic Sheep ◽

Production Traits ◽

Hearing Ability ◽

Agricultural Revolution ◽

Independent Events ◽

Wild Sheep ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe domestication and subsequent development of sheep are crucial events in the history of human civilization and the agricultural revolution. However, the impact of interspecific introgression on the genomic regions under domestication and subsequent selection remains unclear. Here, we analyze the whole genomes of domestic sheep and their wild relative species. We found introgression from wild sheep such as the snow sheep and its American relatives (bighorn and thinhorn sheep) into urial, Asiatic and European mouflons. We observed independent events of adaptive introgression from wild sheep into the Asiatic and European mouflons, as well as shared introgressed regions from both snow sheep and argali into Asiatic mouflon before or during the domestication process. We revealed European mouflons might arise through hybridization events between a now extinct sheep in Europe and feral domesticated sheep around 6000–5000 years BP. We also unveiled later introgressions from wild sheep to their sympatric domestic sheep after domestication. Several of the introgression events contain loci with candidate domestication genes (e.g., PAPPA2, NR6A1, SH3GL3, RFX3 and CAMK4), associated with morphological, immune, reproduction or production traits (wool/meat/milk). We also detected introgression events that introduced genes related to nervous response (NEURL1), neurogenesis (PRUNE2), hearing ability (USH2A), and placental viability (PAG11 and PAG3) into domestic sheep and their ancestral wild species from other wild species.

Download Full-text

Teasing to induce ovarian activity in anoestrous mule ewes

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) ◽

10.1017/s0308229600019462 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 1990 ◽

pp. 166-166

Author(s):

M F Ibraheem ◽

J S M Hutchinson ◽

M E King ◽

L M Mitchell ◽

M Donald

Keyword(s):

Breeding Season ◽

Reproductive Behaviour ◽

Ovarian Activity ◽

Efficient Management ◽

Ram Effect ◽

Management Techniques ◽

Sheep Production ◽

The Uk ◽

Reproductive Processes ◽

Stimulation Of

Efficient management techniques in sheep production must take particular account of the pattern of reproductive behaviour and its application in the manipulation of reproductive processes. Conventionally in the UK, the advancement of the breeding season has been achieved by the use of progesterone-impregnated sponges and pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG). The ‘ram effect’ has been shown to be a powerful and cheap way of controlling the time of mating of sheep. The objective of the present study was to investigate the value of using different methods of teasing for the stimulation of ovarian activity in an early lambing flock.

Download Full-text

Neonatal mice exposed to a high-fat dietin uteroinfluence the behaviour of their nursing dam

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2018.1237 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 285 (1891) ◽

pp. 20181237 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marine Baptissart ◽

Harold E. Lamb ◽

Kimberly To ◽

Christine Bradish ◽

Jesse Tehrani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

In Utero ◽

Maternal Behaviour ◽

Physiological Changes ◽

Environmental Stressor ◽

High Fat ◽

Behavioural Characteristics ◽

Direct Exposure ◽

Pup Retrieval ◽

Cross Fostering

The behaviour of a nursing dam influences the development, physiology, and behaviour of her offspring. Maternal behaviours can be modulated both by environmental factors, including diet, and by physical or behavioural characteristics of the offspring. In most studies of the effects of the environment on maternal behaviour, F0dams nurse their own F1offspring. Because the F1are indirectly exposed to the environmental stressorin uteroin these studies, it is not possible to differentiate between effects on maternal behaviour from direct exposure of the dam and those mediated by changes in the F1as a consequence ofin uteroexposure. In this study, we used a mouse model of high-fat (HF) diet feeding, which has been shown to influence maternal behaviours, combined with cross-fostering to discriminate between these effects. We tested whether the diet of the F0dam or the exposure experienced by the F1pupsin uterois the most significant predictor of maternal behaviour. Neither factor significantly influenced pup retrieval behaviours. However, strikingly, F1in uteroexposure was a significant predictor of maternal behaviour in the 15 min immediately following pup retrieval while F0diet had no discernable effect. Our findings suggest thatin uteroexposure to HF diet programmes physiological changes in the offspring which influence the maternal behaviours of their dam after birth.

Download Full-text

Evidence for independent domestication of sheep mtDNA lineage A in India and introduction of lineage B through Arabian sea route

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-97761-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ranganathan Kamalakkannan ◽

Satish Kumar ◽

Karippadakam Bhavana ◽

Vandana R. Prabhu ◽

Carolina Barros Machado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arabian Sea ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Domestic Sheep ◽

Published Data ◽

Sheep Population ◽

Sheep Breeds ◽

The World ◽

History Of ◽

Wild Sheep ◽

Indian Sheep

AbstractIndia ranks the second in the world in terms of its sheep population with approximately 74.26 million represented by 44 well-described breeds in addition to several non-descript populations. Genetic diversity and phylogeography of Indian sheep breeds remain poorly understood, particularly for south Indian breeds. To have a comprehensive view of the domestication history of Indian sheep, we sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (D-loop) and cytochrome b gene (CYTB) of 16 Indian domestic sheep breeds, most of them (13) from the south India. We analysed these sequences along with published data of domestic and wild sheep from different countries, including India. The haplotype diversity was relatively high in Indian sheep, which were classified into the three known mtDNA lineages, namely A, B and C. Lineage A was predominant among Indian sheep whereas lineages B and C were observed at low frequencies but C was restricted to the breeds of north and east India. The median joining network showed five major expanding haplogroups of lineage A (A1–A5). Out of which, A2, A4 and A5 were more frequent in Indian sheep in contrast to breeds from other parts of the world. Among the 27 Indian sheep breeds analysed, Mandya and Sonadi breeds were significantly different from other Indian breeds in the MDS analyses. This was explained by a very high contribution of lineage B into these two breeds. The Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) provided evidence for the domestication of lineage A sheep in the Indian subcontinent. Contrary to the current knowledge, we also found strong support for the introduction of lineage B into Indian subcontinent through sea route rather than from the Mongolian Plateau. The neighbour-joining tree of domestic and wild sheep revealed the close genetic relationship of Indian domestic sheep with Pakistani wild sheep O. vignei blanfordi. Based on our analyses and archaeological evidences, we suggest the Indian subcontinent as one of the domestication centres of the lineage A sheep, while lineage B sheep might have arrived into India from elsewhere via Arabian sea route. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study on Indian sheep where we have analysed more than 740 animals belonging to 27 sheep breeds raised in various regions of India. Our study provides insight into the understanding of the origin and migratory history of Indian sheep.

Download Full-text

Low sperm to egg ratio required for successful in vitro fertilisation in a pair-spawning teleost, Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis)

10.1101/2020.08.26.267740 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sandra Ramos-Júdez ◽

Wendy Ángela González-López ◽

Jhons Huayanay Ostos ◽

Noemí Cota Mamani ◽

Carlos Marrero Alemán ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Reproductive Behaviour ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Solea Senegalensis ◽

In Vitro Fertilisation ◽

Hatching Rate ◽

Senegalese Sole ◽

Single Male ◽

Close Proximity

AbstractCultured Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) breeders fail to spawn fertilised eggs and this bottleneck could be solved with the implementation of large-scale in vitro fertilisation protocols. However, low production of poor-quality sperm has frustrated the development of in vitro fertilisation protocols. Cultured females were induced to ovulate with a 5 µg kg-1 single injection of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) and good quality eggs (82.6 ± 9.2% fertilisation) were stripped 41:57 ± 1:46 h after the injection. Sperm was collected from cultured males, diluted in modified Leibovitz and used fresh to fertilise the eggs. A non-linear regression, an exponential rise to a maximum (R = 0.93, P < 0.0001) described the number of motile spermatozoa required to fertilise a viable egg and 1617 motile spermatozoa were sufficient to fertilise 99 ± 12% (± 95% CI) of viable eggs. Similar, spermatozoa egg-1 ratios of 592 ± 611 motile spermatozoa egg-1 were used in large-scale in vitro fertilisations with 190,512 ± 38,471 eggs. The sperm from a single male (145 ± 50 µL or 8.0 ± 6.8 × 108 spermatozoa) was used to fertilise the eggs. The mean hatching rate of the large-scale in vitro fertilisations was 70 ± 14 % to provide 131,540 ± 34,448 larvae per fertilisation. When unfertilised eggs were stored at room temperature the percentage of viable eggs decreased gradually and indicated the sooner eggs were fertilised after stripping the higher the viability of the eggs. The collection of sperm directly into a syringe containing modified Leibovitz significantly increased the percentage of motile spermatozoa (33.4 ± 12.2 %) compared to dilution in modified Leibovitz immediately after collection (6.6 ± 4.9 %). Senegalese sole have a pair-spawning reproductive behaviour characterised by external gamete fertilisation in close proximity with no sperm competition. The low spermatozoa egg-1 ratio required for maximum fertilisation was consistent with this reproductive behaviour and strategy. The provision of a large-scale in vitro fertilisation protocol (200 µL of sperm per 100 mL of eggs) will enable the industry to operate sustainably and implement breeding programs to improve production.

Download Full-text

The effect of prostaglandin and gonadotrophins (GnRH and hCG) injection combined with the ram effect on progesterone concentrations and reproductive performance of Karakul ewes during the non‐breeding season

Veterinary Medicine and Science ◽

10.1002/vms3.353 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Ayaseh ◽

Abdolah Mirzaei ◽

Alidad Boostani ◽

Mansur Mehrvarz

Keyword(s):

Breeding Season ◽

Reproductive Performance ◽

Ram Effect

Download Full-text

Maternal behaviour and energy investment by grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) breeding on land-fast ice

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z96-167 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 74 (8) ◽

pp. 1531-1541 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Martha A. Haller ◽

Kit M. Kovacs ◽

Mike O. Hammill

Keyword(s):

Mass Transfer ◽

Mass Loss ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Breeding Habitat ◽

Halichoerus Grypus ◽

Maternal Behaviour ◽

Similar Amount ◽

Lactation Period ◽

Energy Investment ◽

Fast Ice

The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is a sexually dimorphic polygynous phocid that breeds in a synchronous fashion, within populations, on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. This study was designed to examine factors that may influence maternal behaviour and energy investment of females breeding on land-fast ice. The study was conducted on the ice around Amet Island, Nova Scotia, during the breeding seasons of 1992, 1993, and 1994. Scan sampling and ad libitum observation techniques were used to record behaviour. Mass transfer from mothers to pups was determined using serial mass records for pairs. Rate of pup mass gain was 2.5 ± 0.6 kg/day and pup mass at weaning 50.0 ± 7.3 kg. The duration of lactation was 15.2 ± 1.6 days. Maternal mass at parturition was 210.6 ± 23.8 kg and female mass loss during the lactation period was 75.0 ± 16.0 kg. This mass loss represented 35.7 ± 6.1% of their parturition mass. Efficiency of mass transfer was 0.52 ± 0.12. Breeding habitat influenced maternal behaviour. Compared with land-breeding grey seals, ice-breeding females had an intensified nursing period, during which females transferred a similar amount of energy to their pups over a shorter time frame. Additionally, females on land-fast ice gave birth more synchronously than is the case in land-breeding colonies. Date of parturition within the breeding season had some influence on female behaviour; females giving birth late in the season were more active than females breeding earlier. The behaviour of males may play a role in determining the optimum time for birthing. Adult males spent more time engaged in agonistic behaviours late in the breeding season and the resultant disruption of adjacent females may serve as a selective force maintaining birthing synchrony. These influences also apply in land-breeding situations and are not likely to contribute to the contraction of the nursing period and the more synchronous breeding observed among females on ice. The more condensed lactation and birthing periods are likely a response to the higher risk of premature separation on the ice.

Download Full-text