Low hatching success in the critically endangered kakapo is driven by early embryo mortality not infertility
Low hatching success in the critically endangered kakapo is driven by early embryo mortality not infertility
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DOI：
10.1111/acv.12746
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发表时间：
2021-10-18
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Hemmings, N.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Savage, J. L.;Crane, J. M. S.;Hemmings, N.
在许多濒临灭绝的物种中，繁殖失败是恢复的主要障碍。极度濒临灭绝的鸮鹦鹉（鸮鹦鹉）就是这一挑战的例证：61% 的卵未能孵化，其中 73% 没有发育迹象。此前，未发育的卵被认为是雄性不育的原因，但最近对非受威胁鸟类的研究表明，在野外受精失败的情况很少见。受精失败和胚胎死亡的根本原因不同，因此区分它们对于有效的保护管理至关重要。在这里，我们展示了大多数（72%，n = 124）未发育的鸮鹦鹉蛋已受精，并将其与自然交配、人工授精和发育蛋的亲子关系的保护计划数据相结合，以生成迄今为止最精确的野生种群生育力估计。我们还首次在野生鸟类中证明，人工授精会导致更多的精子到达卵子。
In many endangered species, reproductive failure is a major barrier to recovery. The critically endangered kakapo Strigops habroptilus exemplifies this challenge: 61% of their eggs fail to hatch, and of these 73% show no sign of development. Undeveloped eggs have previously been attributed to male infertility, but recent studies of non-threatened bird species suggest fertilisation failure is rare in the wild. The underlying causes of fertilisation failure and embryo death differ, so distinguishing between them is essential for effective conservation management. Here we show that the majority (72%, n = 124) of undeveloped kakapo eggs are fertilised, and combine this with conservation programme data on natural copulations, artificial inseminations, and paternity of developed eggs, to generate the most precise estimate to date of fertility in a wild population. We also demonstrate, for the first time in a wild bird, that artificial insemination results in greater numbers of sperm reaching the egg.