Time within reproductive season, but not age or inbreeding coefficient, affects seminal and sperm quality in the whooping crane (Grus americana)

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 294 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Brown ◽  
S. J. Converse ◽  
J. N. Chandler ◽  
A. L. Crosier ◽  
W. Lynch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Reproductive Season ◽  
Theoretic Model ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Grus Americana ◽  
Whooping Crane ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Sandhill Crane

All living whooping cranes (Grus americana) are descended from 16 or fewer birds that remained alive in the early 1940s, a bottleneck that puts the species at potential risk for inbreeding depression. Although AI is commonly used in the management of the captive population of this species, little is known about seminal traits or factors affecting sperm quality in the whooping crane. In the present study, semen samples were collected from 29 adult males (age 3–27 years) during the early (March), mid (April) and late (May) breeding season over 2 consecutive years. The effects of donor age, time within reproductive season and level of inbreeding on seminal characteristics were analysed using regression and information–theoretic model selection. Only time within reproductive season significantly affected seminal traits, with total numbers of spermatozoa and proportions of pleiomorphisms increasing across the season. We conclude that, even with a highly restricted number of founders, there is no discernible influence of inbreeding (at the levels described) on sperm output or quality. Furthermore, although there is variance in seminal quality, the whooping crane produces significant numbers of motile spermatozoa throughout the breeding season, similar to values reported for the greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida).

Osteological Identification of Sandhill Crane versus Turkey

1979 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. L. Hargrave ◽  
S. D. Emslie
Keyword(s):  
Meleagris Gallopavo ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Grus Americana ◽  
Whooping Crane ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Sandhill Crane ◽  
Bone Fragments ◽  
The Common ◽  
Identification Techniques

Bones of two cranes, the sandhill crane [Grus canadensis] and the whooping crane [Grus americana], can occur in archaeological sites in North America. Fragments of these bones are frequently and easily confused with similar bone fragments of the common turkey [Meleagris gallopavo]. To preclude these errors, identification techniques are provided for major elements of the sandhill crane and turkey.

Host–Parasite Behavioral Interactions in a Recently Introduced, Whooping Crane Population

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. King ◽  
Patrick C. McKann ◽  
Brian R. Gray ◽  
Michael S. Putnam
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Whooping Crane ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Sandhill Crane ◽  
Conservation History ◽  
Whooping Cranes ◽  
Sandhill Cranes

Abstract The whooping crane Grus americana has a long conservation history, but despite multiple attempts across North America, introduction success is lacking. Recently introduced, captively reared whooping cranes have had periods of poor reproductive performance in central Wisconsin that sometimes coincided with black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) emergences. Sandhill crane Grus canadensis reproductive performance in central Wisconsin is approximately double that of whooping cranes. We used comfort behaviors as a measure of black fly harassment to infer whether behavioral differences existed between nesting sandhill cranes and nesting whooping cranes and between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs. To further explore the interaction between black flies and incubating whooping cranes, we examined differences in behaviors between incubating birds and their off-nest mates. Compared to their off-nest mates, incubating whooping cranes exhibited elevated comfort behaviors, suggesting a bird at a nest may experience greater harassment from black flies. Sandhill cranes had elevated head-flicks over whooping cranes. Whooping cranes exhibited more head-rubs than sandhill cranes, and successful whooping crane pairs had elevated head-rubs over pairs that deserted their nests. Behavioral differences between sandhill cranes and whooping cranes as well as differences in reproductive performance, could be explained by exposure to local breeding conditions. Whereas sandhill cranes have nested in the area for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, whooping cranes were only recently introduced to the area. Behavioral differences between the species as well as those between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs could also be explained by the effect of captive exposure, which could affect all whooping crane introductions.

231 SEMINAL QUALITY IN WHOOPING CRANE (GRUS AMERICANA) IS AFFECTED BY STAGE OF BREEDING SEASON BUT NOT BY AGE OF INDIVIDUAL

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 214
Author(s):  
M. E. Brown ◽  
A. Crosier ◽  
W. Lynch ◽  
S. J. Converse ◽  
J. Chandler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sperm Concentration ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Whooping Crane ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Critically Endangered Species ◽  
Whooping Cranes ◽  
Significant Difference

The whooping crane is one of the most critically endangered species in North America. The species underwent a severe genetic bottleneck with only 16 individuals remaining in the wild as of 1942. Captive breeding began in 1966 and continues to produce chicks for release in order to establish new wild populations. However, captive birds experience poor reproduction with approximately 40% of eggs being infertile. Males have been known to reach sexual maturity at 5 years of age and continue to reproduce almost as long as the duration of their adult life (i.e. 40 years). Understanding factors affecting seminal quality may assist in identifying and correcting causes of suboptimal reproduction. Our objectives were to determine the influence of age and reproductive seasonality on seminal quality. We hypothesised that seminal quality variations among whooping cranes and ejaculates within a given individual over time were due to bird age and stage of breeding season. In 2010, twenty-nine whooping cranes of 5 age groups housed at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Laurel, MD, USA) were studied: ≤5 years (n = 3); 6–10 years (n = 7); 11–15 years (n = 7); 16–20 years (n = 4); >20 years old (n = 8). Semen was collected using a manual manipulation technique at 3 stages of the breeding season: early (March, n = 29) mid (April, n = 24), and late (May, n = 14). Samples were evaluated for seminal volume and sperm concentration, motility, and morphology, with data evaluated by analysis of variance. Bird age had no influence on seminal quality, whereas stage of breeding season affected seminal volume and the proportion of sperm with normal morphology (95% confidence interval). Specifically, samples collected during Mid breeding season had the highest volume (mean ± SEM; early: 42.0 ± 8.0 μL; mid: 66.0 ± 15.2 μL; late: 39.7 ± 17.8 μL), but lowest proportions of structurally normal sperm (early: 78.4 ± 3.7%: mid: 61.5 ± 3.2%; late: 69.7 ± 3.4%). There was a significant difference (P = 0.06) in sperm concentration among stages of the breeding season (early: 66.3 ± 18.8 × 106 sperm mL–1; mid: 179.2 ± 46.2 × 106 sperm mL–1; late: 91.4 ± 47.8 × 106 sperm mL–1). Sperm motility was unaffected by season (early: 36.4 ± 3.5%; mid: 45.9 ± 4.1%; late: 48.0 ± 4.9%). In summary, there is a peak in seminal quality that corresponds with higher volume and more sperm during the mid stage of the season, although with higher instances of structural abnormalities. Despite the small founder base for this species, males in this population produce sperm with no variation in seminal quality across a wide variation in age.

scholarly journals Haemosporida prevalence and diversity are similar in endangered wild whooping cranes (Grus americana) and sympatric sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis)

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (5) ◽  
pp. 629-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIRANDA R. BERTRAM ◽  
GABRIEL L. HAMER ◽  
BARRY K. HARTUP ◽  
KAREN F. SNOWDEN ◽  
MATTHEW C. MEDEIROS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Grus Americana ◽  
Surrogate Species ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Sandhill Crane ◽  
Whooping Cranes ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Sandhill Cranes ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYThe population growth of endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) is not consistent with species recovery goals, and the impact of parasite infection on whooping crane populations is largely unknown. Disease ecology and epidemiology research of endangered species is often hindered by limited ability to conduct invasive sampling on the target taxa. Accordingly, we hypothesized that sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) would be a useful surrogate species to investigate the health impacts of Haemosporida infection in whooping cranes. Our goal was to compare the prevalence and diversity of Haemosporida infection between whooping cranes and sandhill cranes. We detected an overall infection prevalence of 83·6% (n = 61) in whooping cranes and 59·6% (n = 47) and 63·6 (n = 22) in two sympatric sandhill crane populations captured in Texas. Prevalence was significantly lower in allopatric sandhill cranes captured in New Mexico (12·1%, n = 33). Haemoproteus antigonis was the most abundant haemoparasite in cranes, present in 57·4% of whooping cranes and 39·2% of sandhill cranes; Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon were present at significantly lower levels. The high prevalence of Haemosporida in whooping cranes and sympatric sandhill cranes, with shared parasite lineages between the two species, supports sandhill cranes as a surrogate species for understanding health threats to endangered whooping cranes.

KNOWLEDGE ON FERTILITY AND INFERTILITY IN ADULT MALES

2015 ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
Minh Tam Le
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Correct Choice ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting

Introduction: Male infertility may have a role in half of infertile couples. In many different causes of male infertility, some cases can be prevented if people have the knowledge and practice of proper behavior. In addition, the right understanding of fertility in infertile men keep them in good cooperationwith physicians in treatment process. This study investigated the knowledge of adult male in fertility and infertility. Subjects and methods: cross-sectional descriptive on 500 men aged 18-50 about knowledge of male reproductive physiology and causes of male infertility as well as their attitude when get infertility by prepared questionnaire. Results: adult males who 81.2% got married and 91.1% of them had children. Only 43.6% understood that spermatogenesis in males takes place from puberty to old age, up to 46.4% believed that normal ejaculation means normal fertility ability and some of them even believe that more frequent sexual intercourse means more chance of fertility (30.8%). Only 37.4% of them understood the frequency of sex 2-4 times/week results in the best chance to get pregnant. Only a few know the concept of infertility (14.0%) as well as the current rate of infertility in Vietnam (24.8%). About half the cases agree that infertility can be caused by man or woman with the same proportion (48.8%) and 26.4% believe that couples could not have secondary infertility if they had children before. Regarding the risk factors affecting sperm quality, although some factors are mentioned with high percentage such as alcohol (52.6%), mumps with orchitis (59.6%), genital infections and STDs (61.4%) but almost accounted for around half of cases. Only 47.2% of cases understand that the important role of poor sperm quality causes male infertility. Recognizing that the examination and treatment of infertile need to have both man and woman accounted for only 48.8%. There are still some people who choose only pray (5.2%) or go to traditional healers (4.4%) to wish to have children. Related to the ability of medical intervention for fertility, there are 53.0% believed that infertile people should come to highest level hospitals to be treated and most of them do not know the treatment methods. Conclusion: There are a lots of problems related to understanding on fertility and infertility in adult male and medical staff should do better education and counsels. Sufficient knowledge offers people more opportunities to access and get correct choice in health services, better cooperation with medical personnel in examination, diagnosis of infertility causes and effective treatments. Key words: Fertility, infertility

scholarly journals Reproductive manipulation in the Whooping Crane Grus americana

1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Kuyt
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Grus Americana ◽  
Whooping Crane ◽  
Grus Canadensis ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
Wood Buffalo National Park ◽  
Cross Fostering

SummaryWhooping Cranes Grus americana increased from 16 wild migratory birds in 1941 to about 146 birds in 1991. Management on the breeding range in Wood Buffalo National Park, Northwest Territories-Alberta, and protection of the birds along their migration route and on the winter range in Texas, are partly responsible for the population increase. The present Wood Buffalo National Park-Aransas National Wildlife Refuge flock consists of almost 50% non-breeders, mostly subadults. Further increases in the number of breeding pairs beyond the 1991 record of 33 can therefore be expected. The wild population has been a source of surplus eggs, whose removal has not adversely affected population growth. These eggs have been used to establish captive flocks, and captive-reared stock will be used to establish other populations. Attempts to establish a new migratory flock in Idaho by means of cross-fostering Whooping Crane eggs to Sandhill Cranes Grus canadensis have not been completely successful. Present plans call for the establishment of a non-migratory flock in Florida.

Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Urbanek ◽  
James C. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Grus Americana ◽  
Whooping Crane

scholarly journals Association between Dyslipidemia and Mercury Exposure in Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 775
Author(s):  
Purum Kang ◽  
Hye Young Shin ◽  
Ka Young Kim
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Targeted Prevention ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Subjective Health Status ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Using Data

Background—Dyslipidemia is one of the prominent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Dyslipidemia has various causes, including metabolic capacity, genetic problems, physical inactivity, and dietary habits. This study aimed to determine the association between dyslipidemia and exposure to heavy metals in adults. Methods—Using data from the seventh Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2017), 5345 participants aged ≥20 years who were tested for heavy metal levels were analyzed in this study. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to assess the factors affecting the prevalence of dyslipidemia. Results—The risks of dyslipidemia among all and male participants with mercury (Hg) levels of ≥2.75 μg/L (corresponding to the Korean average level) were 1.273 and 1.699 times higher than in those with levels of <2.75 μg/L, respectively. The factors that significantly affected the dyslipidemia risk were age, household income, body mass index, and subjective health status in both males and females. Conclusions—In adult males, exposure to Hg at higher-than-average levels was positively associated with dyslipidemia. These results provide a basis for targeted prevention strategies for dyslipidemia using lifestyle guidelines for reducing Hg exposure and healthy behavioral interventions.

Sea-ice and density-dependent factors affecting foraging habitat and behaviour of Adélie penguins throughout the breeding season

2021 ◽  
Vol 168 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuo Kokubun ◽  
Louise Emmerson ◽  
Julie McInnes ◽  
Barbara Wienecke ◽  
Colin Southwell
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Adélie Penguins

Daily administration of a GnRH analogue enhances sperm quality in bucks during the non-breeding season

2019 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Giriboni ◽  
Özdal Gökdal ◽  
Vadullah Eren ◽  
Engin Yaralı ◽  
Julián Santiago-Moreno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Daily Administration ◽  
Gnrh Analogue
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