Long-term conservation plans for endangered species of birds include the study of basic reproductive functions and the development of artificial reproductive techniques. This 6 year study of Chinese pheasants resulted in the description of seminal characteristics and the production of chicks from artificial insemination in each of three species. Semen was collected three times a week from February through June from two Temminck's tragopans (Tragopan ternrninckii), four Himalayan monals (Lophophorus irnpeyanus) , and one Chinese monal (Lopkophorus lhuysii). Ejaculates were analyzed for volume, concentration, and motility; some were extended and used for artificial insemination (AI). A semen quality index (SQI) was calculated from all measured semen parameters to generate a single number to facilitate the comparison of males, years, and species. For all three species, insemination of fresh semen began the day a hen laid an egg and continued two or three times a week until the end of the study. Over all years, tragopan 2 produced semen with a higher SQI than tragopan 1. Variation within individual Himalayan monals was also recorded with SQIs ranging from a low of 10.8 for male 4 to a high of 25.8 for male 1 . When all males were compared by species, the Chinese monal, collected only in 1 year, exhibited a higher SQI than the tragopans or the Himalayan monals. During one 54 day period, a single tragopan hen was inseminated twice, 28 days apart to assess the longevity of inseminated sperm in the female reproductive tract. Fertile eggs were laid for 21 days following the first insemination and for 26 days following the second insemination. A1 of tragopans and Himalayan monals resulted in 100% hatchability; for Chinese monals, the figure was 57%. It is believed that this study represents the first report of successful artificial insemination in Himalayan and Chinese monals. 0 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.