8. Sexual and maternal behaviour

Question 1

What behaviours are considered sexual in female and male animals?

Answer 1

female- proceptive and receptive behaviour

male- courting and mate guarding

Question 2

How have mating systems evolved?

Answer 2

Mating systems have evolved within the framework of the morphological and physiological parameters of the individual species under continual ecological pressures (Houpt, 2011)

Question 3

What physiological bases influence sexual behaviour?

Answer 3

• genetic sex of the animal
• hormones
• past social and sexual experience
• anatomical status
• attractiveness of the mate
  external environment

Question 4

why do we neuter animals?

Answer 4

Ovariectomy- abolishes oestrus behaviour in females

Orchidectomy- abolishes sexual behaviour in males

Question 5

What role do hormones play in sexual behaviour?

Answer 5

Hormones have a permissive role and animals require a certain level for normal sexual behaviour.

Question 6

How does the CNS control sexual behaviour in females?

Answer 6

Hypothalamic factors- oestrus cycle

Cyclical ovulation- difference between spontaneous ovulators (such as bitch, ewe, sow) and induced ovulators (cats)

Question 7

How does the CNS control sexual behaviour in males?

Answer 7

Hypothalamic factors- role of hormones

Olfaction- oestrus detection in the female

Question 8

What can influence maternal behaviour?

Answer 8

hereditary, experiential and hormonal factors.

some females can neglect or attack their offspring whereas others can be overly protective

Question 9

Which animals lick their young and why?

Answer 9

• sheep- licking stimulates the lamb and establishes the maternal-offspring bond
• horse- critical for the mare to learn and recognise her foal
• cat- lick kittens frequently especially the perineum to stimulate urination
• dogs- arouses the puppy to ear, can also stimulate urination, they lick to move their pups too

Question 10

physiological and hormonal processes in male animals?

Answer 10

FSH is released in response to hypothalamic releasing factor (1 mark)
• FSH stimulates spermatogenesis and LH testosterone release (2 marks)
• Testosterone, in turn, acts upon the anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area in
conjunction with the appropriate stimuli from an oestrus female to produce male
sexual behaviour (1 mark)
• Inhibin, a testicular factor produced in the spermatic tubules, acts as a negative
feedback on the hypothalamus (2 marks)
• Oestradial (a metabolite of testosterone) rather than testosterone itself, acts on the
nervous system to produce male sexual behaviour (2 marks