scholarly journals Effect of captivity on morphology: negligible changes in external morphology mask significant changes in internal morphology

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 172470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K. Courtney Jones ◽  
Adam J. Munn ◽  
Phillip G. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
External Morphology ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Internal Morphology ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Source Populations

Captive breeding programmes are increasingly relied upon for threatened species management. Changes in morphology can occur in captivity, often with unknown consequences for reintroductions. Few studies have examined the morphological changes that occur in captive animals compared with wild animals. Further, the effect of multiple generations being maintained in captivity, and the potential effects of captivity on sexual dimorphism remain poorly understood. We compared external and internal morphology of captive and wild animals using house mouse ( Mus musculus ) as a model species. In addition, we looked at morphology across two captive generations, and compared morphology between sexes. We found no statistically significant differences in external morphology, but after one generation in captivity there was evidence for a shift in the internal morphology of captive-reared mice; captive-reared mice (two generations bred) had lighter combined kidney and spleen masses compared with wild-caught mice. Sexual dimorphism was maintained in captivity. Our findings demonstrate that captive breeding can alter internal morphology. Given that these morphological changes may impact organismal functioning and viability following release, further investigation is warranted. If the morphological change is shown to be maladaptive, these changes would have significant implications for captive-source populations that are used for reintroduction, including reduced survivorship.

Uncertain breeding: a short history of reproduction in monotremes

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Temple-Smith ◽  
Tom Grant
Keyword(s):  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Accurate Estimate ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Short History ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
Breeding Seasons ◽  
Future Population

Although much is known about the biology of monotremes, many important aspects of their reproduction remain unclear. Studies over the last century have provided valuable information on various aspects of monotreme reproduction including the structure and function of their reproductive system, breeding behaviour, sex determination and seasonality. All three living genera of monotremes have been successfully maintained in captivity, often for long periods, yet breeding has been rare and unpredictable. When breeding has occurred, however, significant gains in knowledge have ensued; for example a more accurate estimate of the gestation period of the platypus and the incubation period for the Tachyglossus egg. One of the great challenges for zoos has been to understand why breeding of monotremes is difficult to achieve. Analysis of breeding successes of platypuses and short-beaked echidnas provides some insights. The evidence suggests that although annual breeding seasons are regionally predictable, individual adult females breed unpredictably, with some showing breeding intervals of many years. The reason for this variation in individual breeding intervals may be resource-dependant, influenced by social factors or may even be genetically induced. Better knowledge of factors that influence breeding intervals may improve the success of monotreme captive breeding programmes. More certainty in captive breeding is also an important issue for enterprises wishing to trade in Australian wildlife since current legislation limits export of Australian fauna for display to at least second-generation captive-bred individuals. Given their unique evolutionary position, knowledge of reproduction in monotremes needs to be gained in advance of any future population declines so that appropriate strategies can be developed to ensure their survival.

scholarly journals Parents’ presence affects embryos’ development in Salaria fluviatilis (Asso, 1801), a fish with parental care

2014 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-309
Author(s):  
Noëlle Fabre ◽  
Eduardo García-Galea ◽  
Dolors Vinyoles
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Embryo Development ◽  
Physical Condition ◽  
Standard Length ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Yolk Sac ◽  
Sexual Determination ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Head Height

In fishes, the parents’ presence generally improves embryos’ survival through parental care, but it is also associated with some disadvantages such as clutch cannibalism and loss of male physical condition. Captive breeding of the river blennySalaria fluviatilismight improve if these disadvantages were avoided by artificially replacing parental care benefits in the lab. Before accepting this procedure, it should be studied whether embryo development is dependent or not on any other unknown effect related to the parents’ presence. In this study, the ontogenetic sequence and several morphological structures – standard length, head height, jaw length and yolk-sac volume – from embryos reared both in the presence and in the absence of the parents were compared. At day 11 after oviposition, in the parents’ absence treatment, well-developed embryos were obtained, but a smaller size of the yolk-sac, a greater head height and a tendency to have a greater jaw length than in the parents’ presence treatment were found. These results suggest that the parents’ presence might affect embryo development and perhaps offspring sexual determination. Given these differences, the practise of depriving clutches from their parents in captivity breeding programmes should be questioned.

Growth and Sexual Dimorphism in the Dibbler, Parantechinus apicalis (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae)

1999 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
H. Mills ◽  
Z. German R ◽  
C. Lambert ◽  
P. Bradley M
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Mating Systems ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Breeding Strategies ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Morphological Studies ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Males And Females

Sexual dimorphism in animals has been recognised as being associated with particular breeding strategies or mating systems since Darwin's Origin of Species. Frequently, in polygamous situations, females express a variety of attributes to attract males, and males compete with each other for access to females. This produces different selective pressures in each sex, which in tum produces differing morphologies (Leigh 1995). Thus, the emphasis of morphological studies of sexual differences tends to focus on adults and not the growth patterns that generate those differences. Growth patterns in marsupials have been shown to be variable between species (Gemmell and Hendrikz 1993). Previous studies of dasyurid species in captivity concluded that the onset of dimorphism occurs prior to or during weaning (Whitford, Fanning and White 1982; Williams and Williams 1982), but wild animals are not sexually dimorphic until after weaning (Soderquist 1995). These studies have generally examined the growth rates of males and females and the timing of the onset of sexual dimorphism, but little attention has been focussed on how the differences between the sexes are generated.

scholarly journals Conservation by Captive Breeding: a General Survey

Oryx ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Fitter
Keyword(s):  
Captive Breeding ◽  
European Bison ◽  
General Survey ◽  
Second Best ◽  
Wild Horse ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Père David’S Deer ◽  
Arabian Oryx

Breeding rare animals in captivity is only a second best but essential if they cannot be preserved in the wild, and in this zoos have an important part to play. Richard Fitter, hon. secretary of the Fauna Preservation Society, describes some of the most successful captive breeding programmes so far—Pére David's deer, European bison, Przewalski wild horse and Arabian oryx—and urges zoos to give serious attention now to the more difficult tasks of breeding primates and carnivores, of which several species, notably orang utans and the larger apes are endangered. He also suggests that zoos should anticipate the day when species now common become rare by establishing captive breeding programmes that would make them self-supporting in these animals.

Morphological changes to black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) resulting from captivity

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (9) ◽  
pp. 1562-1568 ◽  
Author(s):  
S M Wisely ◽  
J J Ososky ◽  
S W Buskirk
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Mustela Nigripes ◽  
Inbreeding Coefficients ◽  
Founding Population ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Selection For

Captive breeding of endangered species carries risks associated with small population size and domestication. The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) was among the first endangered species bred in captivity. We documented morphological changes to the species after >10 years of captive breeding. We measured 9 dental or cranial traits on 109 skulls; 85 specimens were collected prior to captivity and 24 specimens were of captive-born animals. Skulls of captive animals were 5–6% smaller than skulls from precaptive animals and were 3–10% smaller than skulls of animals collected near the founding population, suggesting that changes occurred in captivity rather than from sample bias in the founders of the captive population. Skull size did not correlate with inbreeding coefficients of captive animals, eliminating the possibility that black-footed ferrets were smaller because of the effects of inbreeding depression or overdominance. Although reintroduced animals were smaller than historical animals, we recommended no alterations to the current management because intentional selection for body size might further reduce genetic variation in a genetically impoverished species. We hypothesize that reintroduced individuals will return to historical body sizes rapidly, owing either to release of environmental stresses or to natural selection for larger size.

scholarly journals Captive husbandry and breeding of the Nguru spiny pygmy chameleon Rhampholeon acuminatus

2021 ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Jay Redbond
Keyword(s):  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Pet Trade ◽  
Total Length ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Conservation Breeding ◽  
Published Account

The Nguru spiny pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon acuminatus) is endemic to the Nguru mountains in Tanzania. It is assessed as Critically Endangered and is collected from the wild for the pet trade. An ex-situ population of this species was recently established at The Wild Planet Trust, Paignton Zoo, in the hope of learning more about the husbandry and biology of this species. We report on the captive husbandry of adults and the successful breeding, hatching and rearing of juveniles. Females carried four eggs but laid them in pairs. When eggs were incubated at 19.2-22.8 °C, hatchlings emerged roughly 180 days after laying. The hatchlings had a total length of about 30 mm and weighed 0.2-0.3 g. To our knowledge, this is the first published account of captive breeding for this species. The husbandry methods described could be used to establish populations of this and other Rhampholeon species in captivity, which in turn would reduce the demand for wild caught (Rhampholeon), as well as inform future conservation breeding programmes for this species.

Doubled haploid production in maize under Sub-montane Himalayan conditions using R1-nj-based haploid inducer TAILP1

2020 ◽  
Vol 80 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K Khulbe ◽  
A. Pattanayak ◽  
Lakshmi Kant ◽  
G. S. Bisht ◽  
M. C. Pant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Doubled Haploid ◽  
Sweet Corn ◽  
Haploid Induction ◽  
Maize Breeding ◽  
Line Production ◽  
Haploid Inducer ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Source Populations ◽  
Developmental Phases

The use of in vivo haploid induction system makes the doubled haploid (DH) technology easier to adopt for the conventional maize breeders. However, despite having played an important role in the initial developmental phases of DH technology, Indian maize research has yet to harvest its benefits. Haploid Inducer Lines (HILs) developed by CIMMYT are being widely used in maize breeding programmes in many countries including India. There, however, is no published information on the efficiency of DH line production using CIMMYT HILs in Indian maize breeding programmes. In the present study, the efficiency of DH production using CIMMYT’s tropically adapted inducer line TAILP1 was investigated with eight source populations including two of sweet corn. The average haploid induction rate (HIR) of TAILP1 was 5.48% with a range of 2.01 to 10.03%. Efficiency of DH production ranged from 0.14 to 1.87% for different source populations with an average of 1.07%. The information generated will be useful for maize breeders intending to use DH technology for accelerated development of completely homozygous lines.

scholarly journals Numerical assessment in the wild: insights from social carnivores

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1740) ◽  
pp. 20160508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Benson-Amram ◽  
Geoff Gilfillan ◽  
Karen McComb
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Numerical Assessment ◽  
Individual Discrimination ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Assessment Skills ◽  
In The Wild

Playback experiments have proved to be a useful tool to investigate the extent to which wild animals understand numerical concepts and the factors that play into their decisions to respond to different numbers of vocalizing conspecifics. In particular, playback experiments have broadened our understanding of the cognitive abilities of historically understudied species that are challenging to test in the traditional laboratory, such as members of the Order Carnivora. Additionally, playback experiments allow us to assess the importance of numerical information versus other ecologically important variables when animals are making adaptive decisions in their natural habitats. Here, we begin by reviewing what we know about quantity discrimination in carnivores from studies conducted in captivity. We then review a series of playback experiments conducted with wild social carnivores, including African lions, spotted hyenas and wolves, which demonstrate that these animals can assess the number of conspecifics calling and respond based on numerical advantage. We discuss how the wild studies complement those conducted in captivity and allow us to gain insights into why wild animals may not always respond based solely on differences in quantity. We then consider the key roles that individual discrimination and cross-modal recognition play in the ability of animals to assess the number of conspecifics vocalizing nearby. Finally, we explore new directions for future research in this area, highlighting in particular the need for further work on the cognitive basis of numerical assessment skills and experimental paradigms that can be effective in both captive and wild settings. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The origins of numerical abilities’.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document