Reproductive Behavior

Question 1

What is reproductive behavior?

Answer 1

A strong drive that takes precedence over other activities.

Question 2

What is the purpose of reproductive behavior?

Answer 2

1. To promote copulation.
2. Assure oocyte and sperm meet.
3. Social bonding (primates and dolphins only).

Question 3

What is the goal of reproductive behavior?

Answer 3

To achieve pregnancy and parturition.

Question 4

What are the stages of reproductive behavior?

Answer 4

1. Precopulatory.
2. Copulatory.
3. Post-copulatory.

Question 5

What is the precopulatory stage?

Answer 5

The search for a sexual partner.
1. Females: Limited to estrus. Characterized by increased physical activity. *Can occur at any time in primates.
2. Males: This can occur at any time.

Question 6

What senses are involved in the precopulatory stage?

Answer 6

1. Tactile.
2. Hearing.
3. Smell.
4. Sight.

Question 7

What are the characteristics of the precopulatory stage?

Answer 7

1. Involves species-specific events.
2. Sniffing of the vulva by the male.
3. Flehmen lip curl (male).
4. Increased frequency of urination by the female. It may help to spread pheromones.
5. Increased phonation (Both).
6. Male checks for female lordosis.
7. Chin resting on the female rump.

Question 8

What are reproductive behaviors that are unique to equines?

Answer 8

1. Winking of the vulva (mare).
2. Biting to check for lordosis (stallion).

Question 9

What are reproductive behaviors that are unique to boars?

Answer 9

1. Nudging the flank to check for lordosis.

Question 10

What are reproductive behaviors unique to cows?

Answer 10

1. Females express all of the normal reproductive behaviors that males would towards females.
2. Mounting.

Question 11

What does sexual arousal look like in the pre-copulatory stage?

Answer 11

1. Female: Lordosis, Vaginal secretions, Presents hindquarters to male.
2. Male: Erection and protrusion.

Question 12

What is copulatory behavior?

Answer 12

1. Mounting.
2. Intromission(Placing the penis in the vagina).
3. Ejaculation.

Question 13

What species are short copulators and how long does it take?

Answer 13

1. Bull and rams.
2. 1-3 seconds.

Question 14

What species are intermediate copulators and how long does it take?

Answer 14

1. Stallion.
2. 20-60 seconds.

Question 15

What species are sustained copulators and how long does it take?

Answer 15

1. Boars.
2. 5-20 minutes.

Question 16

What is postcopulatory behavior?

Answer 16

1. Females: Will often mate again.
2. Male: Dismounting, refractory period.

Question 17

What is the refractory period?

Answer 17

The time when copulation cannot or will not occur due to the male having just copulated.

Question 18

What does the refractory period depend on?

Answer 18

1. Sexual rest prior to copulation.
2. Species.
3. Age (older means longer).
4. Degree of female novelty (newer female present leads to a shorter refractory period).
5. Number of previous ejaculates.

Question 19

How does memory affect mating?

Answer 19

A bad experience may lead to a refusal to mate in the future.

Question 20

What is the default gender for all animals prenatally?

Answer 20

Female.

Question 21

How is an embryo feminized?

Answer 21

No prenatal steroid exposure.

Question 22

How is an embryo masculinized?

Answer 22

Prenatal exposure to T or E2.

Question 23

What are the behaviors of a castrated female when given no steroids?

Answer 23

No estrus behavior.

Question 24

What are the behaviors of a castrated female when given E2?

Answer 24

Estrus behavior.

Question 25

What are the behaviors of a castrated female when given P4 and then E2?

Answer 25

Maximum estrus behavior.

Question 26

What are the behaviors of a castrated female when given T?

Answer 26

Male-like behavior.

Question 27

What are the behaviors of a castrated male when given no steroids?

Answer 27

Decreased sexual behavior.* *If the male was intact for long enough prior to castration, the behaviors may be displayed because they are learned and not hormone driven.

Question 28

What are the behaviors of a castrated male when given T?

Answer 28

Sex behavior restored.

Question 29

What are the behaviors of a castrated male when given DHT?

Answer 29

Decreased sexual behavior.

Question 30

What are the behaviors of a castrated male when given E2?

Answer 30

Sex behavior restored.

Question 31

What hormone do both males and females require for sexual behavior?

Answer 31

E2.

Question 32

What role does olfaction have in reproductive behavior?

Answer 32

Picking up on pheromones produced by males and females.

Question 33

What male species produce pheromones?

Answer 33

1. Humans. 2. Boars.

Question 34

What female species produce hormones during estrus?

Answer 34

All females.

Question 35

What animals besides bovines can pick up on a cow's estrus pheromones?

Answer 35

1. Rats. 2. Dogs.

Question 36

What is a pheromone?

Answer 36

A volatile substance which elicits specific behaviors in the recipient.

Question 37

What is the flehmen response?

Answer 37

When a male horse curls his upper lip in response to stimuli.

Question 38

What is the purpose of the flehmen repsonse?

Answer 38

To trap olfactory stimuli in the nose to allow the vomeronasal organ to send a message to the brain.

Question 39

What is auditory sensory input used for in reproductive behavior?

Answer 39

1. Long-range signaling. ex: Cow bellow, sow grunt.

Question 40

What is visual sensory input used for in reproduction?

Answer 40

1. Posturing. 2. Males observe other males for female mounting. 3. Valuable for close encounters.

Question 41

What is tactile sensory input used for in reproduction?

Answer 41

1. Final stimulus for copulation. 2. Chin resting on the rump of cows. 3. Biting on the whithers or neck of mares. 4. Boar nudging the flank of the sow. 5. May contribute to an erection.

Question 42

What is required for an erection besides sexual stimuli?

Answer 42

1. Vasodilation. 2. Inhibition of vasoconstriction. 3. Relaxation of the retractor penis muscle.

Question 43

What are the steps of emission?

Answer 43

1. Sensory stimulation 2. Stimulation of nerves in the supraoptic and the paraventricular nucleus. 3. OT is released from the posterior pituitary gland. 4. Contractions of smooth muscle in the distal tail of the epididymis and the ductus deferens. 5. Transport of sperm to an ejaculatory position.

Question 44

What are the steps of ejaculation?

Answer 44

1. Intromission. 2. Sensory stimulation of the glans penis via temperature and pressure. 3. Contractions of urethralis and striated muscle (Bulbospongiosis and Ischiocavernosus). 4. Expulsion of semen

Question 45

What animal is notorious for displaying homosexual behaviors?

Answer 45

Cattle.

Question 46

Why is homosexual behavior useful in animals?

Answer 46

Useful to detect when females are in estrus. This may have been enhanced by artificial selection. * Allows for bulls to be collected off of other bulls. **Can be influenced by management practices.

Question 47

What hormones are present in prepartum?

Answer 47

1. High E2. 2. Low P4. 3. PRL (can cross the blood-brain barrier).

Question 48

What hormones are present in post-partum?

Answer 48

1. PRL for lactation and bonding (Maternal, paternal, and alloparental). 2. OT (intracerebral production-social bonding). 3. Opioids (decreases social bonding).