Lecture 16 Flashcards
What are the functions of sexual behaviour?
- reproduction - produce offspring
- bonding, social
- gratification - highly moticated behaviour
- Hormones & reward systems - endorphins
What adaptations occured with reproduction?
- bad mutations lost, good mutations spread
- disease resistance
- adaptability to environmental change
In polygamy, female selects male based on what?
- Fitness and health traits
- Symmetry
- Coloration
- Availability
males compete foraccess and control
What are the commitments between female and males with sex?
Female investment: direct
* Large gamete
* Gestation
* Lactation and care
Male investment: indirect
* small gametes
* paternity uncertain
How are hormones important in reproduction?
- Affect targeted reproductive tissues and nervous system
- Hormones (regulatory substance) (gonadotropins) carried bythe blood to gonads (ovaries and testes) wheretheystimulate development of eggs and sperm
- Gonads produce the sex hormones (estrogen or testosterone) thatdirectly control most repro behaviour
Estrous vs estrus vs anestrus
- Estrous - the estrous cycle (includes both estrus and anestrus)
- Estrus - period of “heat” or female receptivity during the estrous cycle
- Anestrus - period of sexual inactivity between 2 estrus cycles
What are the characteristics of females in estrus?
- Attractivity - pheromones in urine
- Proceptivity - male seeking, female-female mounting (LH secretion)
- Receptivity - standing, lordisis
females become more attractive to males while in estrus causing the flehmen responce
What factors were found of ram seeking in ewes?
- heavier ewe = sexual maturity
- older and mixed age flocks
- large paddocks = less seeking
How do cows, horses and goats show acceptance of male?
- Cow - lifts tail, standing
- horse - interest in stallion, urination, winking of vulva
- goat - rapid wagging of up-turned tail (flagging)
What is the psychological motivation/ libido?
important
Physical and physiological ability
Sexual motivation and performance is stimulated by ________
important
visual and olfactory stimuli
What is the Flahmen response?
- inhales with mouth open and upper lip curled to allow exposure to the vomeronasal organ
- odour compounds directly contact vomeronasal organ
What is the sequence of elements of sexual behaviour?
- Appetitive (invitation to approach and mount)
- Consummatory (period when sexual act takes place)
- Refractory (recovery phase)
What is the coolidge effect?
sexual motivation restored by exposure to new or different females
What do pheromones do?
- attract males
- my speed up sexual maturity
- impact social groupings (cattle)
* cattle form SAG groups (sexually active group)
What is proceptivity?
Initial phase when courtship occurs
cows
* LH secretion
* female-female mounting
* increased activity
What is silent ovulation?
- ovulations without estrous behaviour (may be ovarian dysfunction often follicular cyst)
What is silent ovulation in sheep and cattle?
Sheep
* ewes that are not cycling generally will start after introduction to a ram
* estrous behaviour is only induced if the female has recently been exposed to high levels of progesterone
* usually the first time is silent and the ram cannot detect it
* estrous behaviour will occur nest cycle
Cattle
* rare
* ovulations associated with little sexual activity are more common
* often the first postpartum ovulation (no behaviour)
* corpus luteum then releases progesterone, wich resets brain and results in normal next cycle
What is the ram effect?
famels exposed to a sexually mature ram may hasten or synchronize the ewes
What is the boar effect?
boar exposure induces estrous in sows and induces puberty in gilts
boar salivary pheromones critical
What are some specie specific behaviours?
boar, sheep, goat
Boar
* chant-de-coeur - males produce odour and vocalize to stimulate females
Sheep
* males paw, lick
Goat
* males urinate
Why is assessing sexual performance critical for animal and pure-bred pet industry?
hogh performance requires high motivation and competent physical abilities
measured on AI collection/live breeding, serving capacity(breedings per unit time), semen quality
What are the elements of sexual behaviour sequence?
- Appetitive - invitation to approach and mount
- Consummatory - period when sexual act takes place
- refractory - recovery phase
