由于繁殖成功率差,在美国动物园中维持的雪豹(Unciauncia)种群不再可持续。我们的目标是评估雄性雪豹的生殖特征并确定因素(精液中氧化应激的标志物,畜牧业实践调查,性腺和肾上腺皮质活动,各种营养素的饮食摄入量,和遗传学)可能会影响射精性状和随后的生育能力。来自27个机构的32只雄性雪豹(9.8±0.7岁;38.6±0.8kg)的射精(2.9±0.2mL),其中包含119.226.0x106个精子,其中75.1±2.3%活动,28.6±2.6%形态正常。总的来说,34%的男性产生<500万个精子,27%的男性产生<20%正常形态的精子。精液中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性与正常精子形态呈负相关(P<0.05,r2=0.90)。畜牧业实践,粪便雄激素代谢物(FAM)的平均浓度,和粪便糖皮质激素代谢物(fGM)的基线浓度,近亲繁殖系数,并且每个雄性从其谱系中的创始人中删除的世代与精子总数或形态正常的精子比例无关(P>0.05)。精子总数与每周多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)摄入量呈正相关(P<0.05,R2=0.86),形态正常的精子比例呈正相关(P<0.10,R2=0.31)。铜摄入量。改变雪豹饮食的营养成分可以为管理者提供一种可能的方法来改善这种濒危物种的繁殖特性。
自1993年以来,由于繁殖成功,美国动物园中保存的雪豹(Unciauncia)的数量一直在下降。我们的目标是评估雄性雪豹的繁殖特征并确定因素(例如激素,饮食,遗传学)可能会影响精液的质量,从而影响随后的生育能力。在美国27个动物园维持的32只雄性雪豹中,我们发现,34%的精子产量不到500万,27%的男性精子产量不到20%。回收精子的数量和质量与饲养实践无关,粪便中激素(雄激素和糖皮质激素)的浓度,或遗传学。然而,精子数量与饮食中的多不饱和脂肪酸呈正相关。改变雪豹饮食的营养成分可以为管理者提供一种可能的方法来改善这种濒危物种的繁殖特性。
The population of snow leopards (Unciauncia) maintained in US zoos is no longer sustainable due to poor reproductive success. Our objective was to assess reproductive traits in male snow leopards and identify factors (markers of oxidative stress in seminal fluid, surveys of husbandry practices, gonadal and adrenocortical activity, dietary intake of various nutrients, and genetics) that may affect ejaculate traits and subsequent fertility. Ejaculates (2.9 ± 0.2 mL) from 32 male snow leopards (9.8 ± 0.7 years; 38.6 ± 0.8 kg) housed at 27 institutions contained 119.2 + 26.0 x 106 spermatozoa, of which 75.1 ± 2.3% were motile and 28.6 ± 2.6% exhibited normal morphology. Overall, 34% of males produced <5 million spermatozoa and 27% of males produced spermatozoa with <20% normal morphology. Activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the seminal fluid was negatively correlated (P < 0.05, r 2 = 0.90) with normal sperm morphology. Husbandry practices, mean concentrations of fecal androgen metabolites (fAM), and baseline concentrations of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGM), inbreeding coefficients, and generations each male was removed from the founders in their lineages were not correlated (P > 0.05) with the total number of spermatozoa or the proportion of spermatozoa with normal morphology. Total sperm count was positively correlated (P < 0.05, R 2 = 0.86) with the weekly intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and the proportion of spermatozoa with normal morphology tended (P < 0.10, R 2 = 0.31) to be positively correlated with copper intake. Altering the nutrient composition of snow leopard diets could provide managers with a possible method of improving reproductive traits in this endangered species.
The population of snow leopards (Uncia uncia) maintained in US zoos has been declining since 1993 due to poor breeding success. Our objective was to assess the reproductive traits of male snow leopards and identify factors (e.g. hormones, diet, genetics) that may be affecting the quality of semen produced and therefore subsequent fertility. Within a cohort of 32 male snow leopards maintained at 27 US zoos, we found that 34% produced less than 5 million sperm and 27% of males produced sperm where less than 20% looked normal. The quantity and quality of the recovered sperm was not correlated with husbandry practices, concentrations of hormones (androgens and glucocorticoids) in feces, or genetics. However, the number of sperm was positively correlated with polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet. Altering the nutrient composition of snow leopard diets could provide managers with a possible method of improving reproductive traits in this endangered species.