The Application of Reproductive Technologies to Natural Populations of Red Deer

Garde, José Julián; Martínez‐Pastor, Felipe; Gomendio, Montserrat; Malo, Aurelio F.; Soler, Ana Josefa; Fernández-Santos, M.R.; Esteso, M.C.; García, A. J.; Anel, L.; Roldán, E. R. S.

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0531.2006.00773.x

Cited by 70 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This would facilitate the creation of germplasm banks of not only endangered species (Ptak et al 2002, Kozdrowski et al 2011) but also those that could be at risk in the future (Holt and Pickard 1999). In addition, epididymal spermatozoa collected postmortem could be used for artificial insemination (Garde et al 2006, Morrow et al 2009), in vitro fertilization (Garcia-Alvarez et al 2009) and in vitro embryo production (Comizzoli et al 2001, Martins et al 2007). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological defects of epididymal spermatozoa in male roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) during the reproductive season

Kozioł¹,

Koziorowski²

2015

Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to analyse the morphology of the epididymal spermatozoa of male roe deer obtained postmortem at the beginning (May), peak (July/August) and the end (September) of the reproductive season. Spermatozoal abnormalities were divided into major (associated with impaired fertility) and minor (not associated with impaired fertility) defects. The highest percentage of abnormal spermatozoa was observed in May (17.78 ± 1.88%), with a much higher proportion of major (12.35 ± 1.11%) than minor defects (5.43 ± 1.59%) being observed. The percentage of abnormal spermatozoa was lowest during the peak of the reproductive season (4.97 ± 1.13%), with the proportion of major (2.68 ± 0.78%) and minor defects (2.28 ± 0.45%) being comparable during this period. The percentage of abnormal spermatozoa increased again in September (11.05 ± 1.60%), with the major defects (6.15 ± 1.04%) slightly surpassing the minor defects (4.90 ± 0.77%); however, total abnormalities still remained lower than those found in May. These differences were statistically significant, with the exception of the difference in minor defects between the pre-rut and post-rut periods. These results indicate that the best period to collect epididymal spermatozoa from roe deer postmortem is the peak of the reproductive season (July/August); however, they can also be recovered at the end of the reproductive season (September), as the percentage of major defects is relatively low at this time. This study provides the basis for further research to determine optimal methods for the storage and cryopreservation of epididymal spermatozoa in this species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological defects of epididymal spermatozoa in male roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) during the reproductive season

Kozioł¹,

Koziorowski²

2015

Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Post-mortem seminal recovery is the most practical option to obtain sperm samples from wild populations of red deer, with hunting representing a constant source from harvested animals [29]. Spermatozoa were collected from the cauda of the epididymis by repeated longitudinal and transverse cuts with a surgical scalpel and placed in 0.5 mL of fraction A.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm Flagellum Volume Determines Freezability in Red Deer Spermatozoa

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The factors affecting the inter-individual differences in sperm freezability is a major line of research in spermatology. Poor sperm freezability is mainly characterised by a low sperm velocity, which in turn is associated with low fertility rates in most animal species. Studies concerning the implications of sperm morphometry on freezability are quite limited, and most of them are based on sperm head size regardless of the structural parts of the flagellum, which provides sperm motility. Here, for the first time, we determined the volumes of the flagellum structures in fresh epididymal red deer spermatozoa using a stereological method under phase contrast microscopy. Sperm samples from thirty-three stags were frozen and classified as good freezers (GF) or bad freezers (BF) at two hours post-thawing using three sperm kinetic parameters which are strongly correlated with fertility in this species. Fourteen stags were clearly identified as GF, whereas nineteen were BF. No significant difference in sperm head size between the two groups was found. On the contrary, the GF exhibited a lower principal piece volume than the BF (6.13 µm3 vs 6.61 µm3, respectively, p = 0.006). The volume of the flagellum structures showed a strong negative relationship with post-thawing sperm velocity. For instance, the volume of the sperm principal piece was negatively correlated with sperm velocity at two hours post-thawing (r = −0.60; p<0.001). Our results clearly show that a higher volume of the sperm principal piece results in poor freezability, and highlights the key role of flagellum size in sperm cryopreservation success.

show abstract

“…The Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) differs from other Cervus elaphus populations mainly because of its smaller size (Garde et al, 2006). Among native game species in the Iberian Peninsula, the Iberian red deer is simultaneously the largest free-living ruminant and the most valuable species as a big game trophy, being a prime attraction among European hunters (Hofer, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%