Reproductive Behavior Flashcards
What are the 3 Reproductive behaviors stages in males?
- Precopulatory stage
- Copulatory stage
- Postcopulatory stage
What are the 3 Reproductive behaviors in females?
- Attractivity Stage
- Proceptivity Stage
- Receptivity Stage
What are the events that occur in the precopulatory stage?
- Search for a sexual partner
- Courtship
- Sexual arousal
- Erection
- Penile protrusion
What events are in the copulatory stage?
- Mounting
- Intromission ( Penis introduced to vagina)
- Emission (seminal fluid & sperm movement into pelvic urethral)
- Ejaculation (expulsion of semen into female tract)
What events are in the Postcopulatory stage?
- Dismount
- Refractory Period
- Memory
For the event of searching for a sexual partner what does the male do?
Male looks for female signals like olfactory, visual, auditory, and tactile responses
What are courtship behaviors?
- Sniffing vulva
- Phonation (females urinates in presence of male)
- Flehmen response (lip curl)
What is sexual arousal?
- Erection
- Penile protrusion (CNS control)
What is mounting? What is emission?
- Female shows lordosis (stands to be mounted )
- Seminal fluid & sperm movement into pelvic urethral
What is Intromission? What is ejaculation?
- Entrance of penis into vagina
- Expulsion of semen into female tract.
What is the postcopulatory?
The refractory period, no further copulation (sec to min), memory
What occurs in the attractivity phase?
- behaviors that attract males
- postures, vocalization, pheromones
What occurs in the attractivity phase?
- behaviors that attract males
- postures, vocalization, pheromones
- Increased physical activity (searching for mate)
What is proceptivity?
- female behaviors that encourages male to copulate
- Posturing with male, homosexual behavior.
What is Receptivity?
- Copulatory behavior of female
- Limited duration in female, considerable species variation
How is CNS initiated?
It is initiated by sensory signals like olfaction, vision, audition, tactility
How can one be able to respond to sensory signals?
The hypothalamus must be sensitized.
How does CNS work in males?
Testosterone is aromatized to estrogen in brain, promotes reproductive behavior
What is the effect of a constant hormone supply?
It initiates reproductive behavior at any time
In females when is there an excess estrogen supply?
Excessive estrogen only prior to estrus (receptiveness)
In what order does the Central nervous system control (CNS) behavior go through?
- Sensory
- Hypothalamus
- Midbrain
- Medulla
- Spinal cord
What are the aspects of the sensory aspect in CNS?
- Visual senses
- Olfactory (detection of pheromones in urine)
- Auditory
- Tactile (Physical touch aspect)
What does the hypothalamus contain in regards to the CNS?
- Estrogen receptors
- Estradiol increases -> increases nerve excitability
- Neurons produce behavior specific peptides
In the Midbrain what is its role in the CNS?
- “Receiving zone” for hypothalamic peptides
- Speeds up impulses
What does the Medulla do in CNS behavior?
Integrates postural adaptation for lordosis and mounting
What role does the Spine contain in the CNS?
- Generates signals to specific muscles for lordosis and mounting
In regards to the bull how long will one follow a cow during potential breeding seasons?
The bull will follow the cow until she is ready to be breeded which could say about more than half-a-day
When it comes to the reproductive behavior, can it always be predicted?
Reproductive behavior cannot always be predicted since the frequency of it can always change.
What are pheremones?
- Volatile substance secreted or released to the outside of the body
- perceived (recognized) by the olfactory system,
- can be activated by the vomeronasal organ
What is the purpose of the pheremones in females? Is there different types?
1.It is meant to serve as a way to attract males
2.It is only difference in estrus females vs. no estrus females
3.Humans has it during ovulation
How does the male respond to female pheremones?
- They do the flehman response for short range investigative behavior
- They do a head elevation and lip curling
What is the purpose of the Flehman response?
- It detects less volatile pheremones by the vomerosonal organ
- It restricts airflow via nasal passages, fluid is aspirated through nasoplatine duct and into sensory surfaces of vomerosonal organ
When it comes to male pheremones what do they do?
- Production of sex pheremones attracts females (different for species)
In regards to the boar how do they attract females? Where does it come from?
- Their presense stimulates sexual arousal of gilts/sows in estrus
- Contained in preputial couch secretions , saliva is secreted by the submaxillary gland, musk odor.
What is the smell of the boar consiting of?
Androgen metabolites
What are examples of vocalization in cows, sows, and queens?
- Cows have increased bellowing
- Sows have grunting associated with estrus
- Queens have vocal “yeow”
What is vocalization by definition?
Long range signals incdicated sexual readiness (mating calls)
What are some examples of male vocalization in beef,dairy and elk?
- Increased bellowing
- Bugling during rut (breeding season)