Q15 - Reproduction in Birds I

Question 1

What mechanisms of copulation are there in birds?

Answer 1

Cloacal kiss or penetration through erectile phallus-like structure

Question 2

What is a cloacal kiss in bird copulation?

Answer 2

Brief contact between male and female cloacae

Question 3

What type of copulation do waterfowl and ostriches display?

Answer 3

Penetration with erectile phallus-like structure made from the ventral wall of the cloaca and transference of sperm along a ridge

Question 4

What occurs when sperm enter the female reproductive tract in bird reproduction?

Answer 4

Some are stored in tubules at the utero-vaginal junction, the rest traverse the entire length of the tract to the infundibulum

Question 5

What happens when sperm contact the egg in bird reproduction?

Answer 5

Bind to the peri-vitteline membrane via one receptor, many penetrate the germinal disc, one bind to egg nucleus

Question 6

Why is polyspermy needed in bird fertilisation?

Answer 6

It is crucial to egg development - too little sperm results in embryos not developing past the early stages

Question 7

Why does hybridisation occur in some bird species?

Answer 7

Binding to the peri-vitteline membrane only requires one receptor, so this can easily be bypassed