Animal Reproduction and Genetics

Animal Reproduction and Genetics

Terminology

• Objective:– Define terminology related to

reproductive management and breeding systems including castration, colustrum, estrus, gestation, lactation and parturition.

Terminology

• Castration– Removing the testicles of the male to

prevent breeding

• Colustrum– First milk

• Gestation– Time an animal is pregnant

Terminology

• Estrus– When a female is receptive to be

bred

• Lactation– Period of time that milk is secreted

by the mammary glands

• Parturition– Than act of giving birth

Breeding Systems

• Objective– Discuss crossbreeding, grading-up,

inbreeding, linebreeding, and purebreeding

Breeding Systems

• Pure Breeding– Registered male and female animals– Angus X Angus

Breeding Systems

• Cross Breeding– Mating a male and female of

different breeds– Angus X Charolais = Crossbreed

Breeding Systems

• Inbreeding– Mating closely related animals– Brother X Sister– Son X Mother– Father X Daughter

Breeding Systems

• Linebreeding– Breeding more distant relatives than

inbreeding– Cousin X Cousin

Breeding Systems

• Grading-Up– Mating purebred male (sires) to

unregistered or corssbred females (dams)

– Yorkshire bore X Yorkshire/Hampshire sow

– Hybrid Vigor• Superior traits from crossbreeding • Offspring are better than parents

The Female Reproductive System

Objective: Identify the parts of the female reproductive system of livestock

Female Tract

Female Reproductive System

• Ovary - the ovary is comparable to the male testicle and is the site of gamete production. – A bovine animal has 20,000 potential eggs per

ovary, while a human female has 400,000 potential eggs per ovary.

– Ova are fully developed at puberty and are not continuously produced as in the male.

– All species contain two functional ovaries except for the hen which has only a left functioning ovary.

Female Reproductive System

Female Reproductive System

The ovaries have three major functions:• Gamete production• Secrete estrogen (hormone)

• absence of muscle development • development of mammary glands • development of reproductive systems and external

genitalia • fat deposition on hips and stomach (source of

energy) • triggering of heat

• Form the corpus luteum

Female Reproductive System

• Infundibulum - the funnel shaped portion of the fallopian tube near the ovary that catches the ovulated egg.

• Fallopian Tubes (or Oviducts) - pair of small tubes leading from the ovaries to the horns of the uterus (5 - 6 inches). – Fertilization occurs in the oviduct. – Egg travels from ovary to uterine horn in 3 - 4 days.

Female Reproductive System

Female Reproductive System

• Uterine Horn - The anterior, divided end of the uterus in the cow, ewe, and mare. Sow has only 2 horns, no body, woman has no horns, only body.

Female Reproductive System

Female Reproductive System

Uterus - Muscular sac connecting fallopian tubes and cervix1. Sustains the sperm and aids in its transport 2. Supports embryo and fetus during gestation3. Expels fetus at parturition

Female Reproductive System

• Cervix – Area between

the uterus and vagina

– Normally closed– Opens at estrus

and parturition – (2 -3 inches)

Female Reproductive System

• Vagina - the female organ of copulation1. admits penis 2. receives semen (except in sow) 3. passageway for fetus at parturition

• Bladder - storage organ for urine

• Vulva - extended genitalia; opening for both urinary and genital tracts

Female Reproductive System

Reproductive Functions (Female)

Steps in the female reproductive process:

1. Ovulation — Produce gamete (ova or ovum)— Release of egg(s)— Infundibulum pushes the

ovum into the fallopian tube

Reproductive Functions (Female)

Reproductive Functions (Female)

2. Estrus (heat, estrous period) – Period of time when a female will accept a

male in copulation– The female must stand (standing heat)

to be mounted before the reproductive process can begin

Reproductive Functions (Female)

3. Gestation— Fertilization to parturition— Develop embryo in uterus

4. Parturition— Expel fully developed young at birth

5. Lactation— Milk production

Reproductive Functions (Female)

Ovulation Rates

Ovulation Rates by SpeciesCow- 1 egg per estrusEwe- 1 to 3 eggs per estrusSow- 10 to 20 eggs per estrusMare- 1 egg per estrusHen- Approx. 28 eggs per month

Reproductive Terminology

Species Act OffspringCows calving calfEwes lambing lambSows farrowing pigHens hatching chickMares foaling foalGoats kidding kid

Reproductive Functions (Female)

Gestation and Lactation Periods:

Species Gestation Period Lactation(Milking)Cow 283 - 285 days beef 180 - 270

daysdairy 305 - 365

daysEwe 115 - 142 days 60 - 90 - 120 daysSow 112 - 115 days 21 - 42 daysMare 330 - 345 days 90 - 150 daysWoman 270 days ? years

Reproductive Functions (Female)

Estrous period length by species:Cow 12 - 18 hoursEwe 24 - 36 hoursSow 48 - 72 hoursMare 90 - 170 hoursHens & Women none

Reproductive Functions of the Female

Estrous cycle - time from one heat period (or menstrual cycle) to the next.

Length of estrous cycle by species:Cow 19 - 21 daysEwe 16 - 17 daysSow 19 - 21 daysMare 21 - 24 daysWoman 28 daysHen none

The Male Reproductive Tract

Objective: Identify the parts of the male reproductive system of livestock and poultry

Male Reproductive Tract

Male Reproductive Tract

• Scrotum - external sac that holds testicles outside of the body to keep sperm at 4-5oF cooler than the body temperature

• Testicles - the primary male organs of reproduction • to produce sperm • to secrete testosterone

Male Reproductive Tract

• Epididymis - Long coiled tube that is a path for sperm

– Provide passageway for sperm out of the seminiferous tubules

– Storage for sperm – Fluid secretion to nourish sperm – Place for sperm maturation

Male Reproductive Tract

• Vas Deferens - slender tube from epididymis to urethra which moves sperm to the urethra at ejaculation

• Urethra - long tube from bladder to penis; passageway for urine and sperm out of the body

Male Reproductive Tract

• Penis - male organ of copulation which conveys semen and urine out of the body

• Penis retractor muscle - allows extension and retraction of the penis; sigmoid flexure extends in copulation

Male Reproductive Tract

Accessory Glands: • Seminal vesicles- add fructose and citric

acid to nourish the sperm

• Prostate Gland - located at the neck of the bladder– cleans the urethra prior to and during

ejaculation – provides minerals for sperm – provides the medium for sperm transport – provides the characteristic odor of semen

Male Reproductive Tract

• Cowper’s gland• Also called the Bulbourethral gland• Paired organs • cleans the urethra prior to semen

passage

Male Reproductive Tract

Reproduction in Poultry

Objective: Specify how the reproductive system for

poultry functions

Reproduction in Poultry

The poultry oviduct has five parts:1) Vagina

– Holds the egg until laid

2) Uterus– Secretes the shell

3) Isthmus– Adds the two shell membranes

4) Magnum– Secretes the albumen

5) Infundibulum– Where fertilization takes place

Reproduction in Poultry

• Major difference:– Embryo of livestock develop inside the

female’s body while the embryo of poultry develops inside the egg.

• Poultry only have the left ovary and oviduct when mature

• The yoke is the ovum• Chicken Incubation

– 21 days

Poultry Reproduction

In your notes, define the following poultry reproductive terms and tell how they differ from livestock we have studied so far:

•Papilla•Testicles•Cloaca•Vent

•Ovary•Magnum•Isthmus•Uterus•Vagina

Follow the Lecture

Assignment:

Build a crossword puzzle containing 12 reproductive terms from your class notes. Have another student complete and sign your crossword puzzle. The assignment as well as your other assignment from the handout is due at the end of class.

Animal Reproduction and Genetics

Objective: Describe the cell and process involved in cell division including how genes affect the transmission of characteristics

Animal Cell

• The body is made up of millions of tiny cells

• Most of the cell is made up of protoplasm

• Cell parts: Nucleus Cytoplasm Cell membrane

Animal Cell

Nucleus

Cytoplasm

Cell Membrane

Cell Division

• Mitosis– Increases total number of cells– Results in animal growth– Chromosomes pairs are duplicated

• Meiosis– Produces gametes– Only have one-half the chromosomes

of normal cells

Fertilization

• When the sperm from a male reaches the egg from a female

• Two cells join to form a complete cell

• Pairs of chromosomes are formed again

• Many different combinations of traits are formed

Fertilization

Chromosomes

• Rod shaped bodies

• Made of protein• Found in the cell

nucleus• Exist in pairs

except for gamete cells

• The number of chromosome pairs differ for various animals– Cattle 30– Swine 19– Horses 33– Chickens 6– Humans 23

Genes

• Located on chromosomes• Thousands found in each animal• Control inherited characteristics

– Carcass traits– Growth rate– Feed efficiency

• Two types of inherited traits Dominant Recessive

Assignment

1. Read pages 186• Livestock and Poultry Production

textbook

2. Complete problems 1-93. Write the question and provide a

short answer in complete sentences.

Genes

• Dominant gene– Hides the effect of another gene– Polled condition in cattle is dominant– The gene is represented by a capital

letter• Recessive

– Gene that is hidden by another– The gene is represented by a lower

case letter

Genes

Example:

The dominant gene is written- P

The recessive gene is written-p

P= Polledp= horned

Homozygous and Heterozygous

• Homozygous gene pair– Carries two genes for a trait– Polled cow might carry the gene PP

• Heterozygous– Carries two different genes that

affect a trait– Polled cows might carry a recessive

gene with the dominant Pp

Predicting Genotype

• Genotype-kind of gene pairs possessed

• Phenotype- the physical appearance of an animal

• Punnett squares are used to predict genotypes and phenotypes of animals

Punnett Square

P= Polledp= hornedExample:• Two polled cattle

that are homozygous for the polled trait

P P

P PP PP

P PP PP

Polled Dam

Pol

led

Sir

e

Punnett Square

N= Normal sizen= DwarfismExample:• Normal size in

cattle is dominant to dwarfism

N N

N NN NN

n Nn Nn

Normal Dam

Sir

e C

arri

er

Punnett Square

N= Normal sizen= DwarfismExample:• What if both

parents are carriers for a trait or disorder?

N n

N NN Nn

n Nn nn

Normal Dam

Sir

e C

arri

erResult: one out of every four births could result in a dwarf animal (1:2:1)

Assignment

Complete a Punnett Square for two animals that are heterozygous for two traits:

• Polled=P• Black= B

(Alternatives are horned and red)

Dam

Sir

e

Answer

A Punnett Square for two animals that are heterozygous for two traits:

• Polled=P• Black= B

(Alternatives are horned and red)

PB Pb pB pb

PB PPBB PPBb PpBB PpBb

Pb PPBb PPbb PpBb Ppbb

pB PpBB PpBb ppBB ppBb

pb PpBb Ppbb ppBb ppbb

Dam

Sir

e

9:3:3:1

Heritability

• Objective:– Discuss hertability estimates for beef

and swine

Heritability

• Estimated the likelihood of a trait being passes on from the parent to the offspring– Low heritability

• slow herd improvement

– High heritability• faster improvement

Heritability

• Swine rates are usually lower than cattle

• Heritiability for carcass traits are higher than reproductive traits

• Estimates vary from 0 to 70%

Birth weight 40%

Weaning Weight 25-30%

Yearling Weight 60%

Fertility 10%

Tenderness 60%

Heritability Review

• Herd improvement– slow for low heritability– faster for high heritability

• Estimates are higher for:– beef compared to swine– carcass traits compared to repro