Lecture 16

Question 1

What are the functions of sexual behaviour?

Answer 1

• reproduction - produce offspring
• bonding, social
• gratification - highly moticated behaviour
• Hormones & reward systems - endorphins

Question 2

What adaptations occured with reproduction?

Answer 2

• bad mutations lost, good mutations spread
• disease resistance
• adaptability to environmental change

Question 3

In polygamy, female selects male based on what?

Answer 3

• Fitness and health traits
• Symmetry
• Coloration
• Availability

males compete foraccess and control

Question 4

What are the commitments between female and males with sex?

Answer 4

Female investment: direct
* Large gamete
* Gestation
* Lactation and care

Male investment: indirect
* small gametes
* paternity uncertain

Question 5

How are hormones important in reproduction?

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Estrous vs estrus vs anestrus

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

What are the characteristics of females in estrus?

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

What factors were found of ram seeking in ewes?

Answer 8

1. heavier ewe = sexual maturity
2. older and mixed age flocks
3. large paddocks = less seeking

Question 9

How do cows, horses and goats show acceptance of male?

Answer 9

• Cow - lifts tail, standing
• horse - interest in stallion, urination, winking of vulva
• goat - rapid wagging of up-turned tail (flagging)

Question 10

What is the psychological motivation/ libido?

important

Answer 10

Physical and physiological ability

Question 11

Sexual motivation and performance is stimulated by ________

important

Answer 11

visual and olfactory stimuli

Question 12

What is the Flahmen response?

Answer 12

• inhales with mouth open and upper lip curled to allow exposure to the vomeronasal organ
• odour compounds directly contact vomeronasal organ

Question 13

What is the sequence of elements of sexual behaviour?

Answer 13

• Appetitive (invitation to approach and mount)
• Consummatory (period when sexual act takes place)
• Refractory (recovery phase)

Question 14

What is the coolidge effect?

Answer 14

sexual motivation restored by exposure to new or different females

Question 15

What do pheromones do?

Answer 15

1. attract males
2. my speed up sexual maturity
3. impact social groupings (cattle)
   * cattle form SAG groups (sexually active group)

Question 16

What is proceptivity?

Answer 16

Initial phase when courtship occurs

cows
* LH secretion
* female-female mounting
* increased activity

Question 17

What is silent ovulation?

Answer 17

• ovulations without estrous behaviour (may be ovarian dysfunction often follicular cyst)

Question 18

What is silent ovulation in sheep and cattle?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What is the ram effect?

Answer 19

famels exposed to a sexually mature ram may hasten or synchronize the ewes

Question 20

What is the boar effect?

Answer 20

boar exposure induces estrous in sows and induces puberty in gilts

boar salivary pheromones critical

Question 21

What are some specie specific behaviours?

boar, sheep, goat

Answer 21

Boar
* chant-de-coeur - males produce odour and vocalize to stimulate females

Sheep
* males paw, lick

Goat
* males urinate

Question 22

Why is assessing sexual performance critical for animal and pure-bred pet industry?

Answer 22

hogh performance requires high motivation and competent physical abilities

measured on AI collection/live breeding, serving capacity(breedings per unit time), semen quality

Question 23

What are the elements of sexual behaviour sequence?

Answer 23

• Appetitive - invitation to approach and mount
• Consummatory - period when sexual act takes place
• refractory - recovery phase