Reproductive Behavior of Wild Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 582

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biodiversity Protection, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, 10-748 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: reproductive biology; immunology; nutrition; welfare; heterogeneity of domestic and wild ruminants
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reproduction of wild fauna depends on the environment, and, unlike reproductive processes in livestock, which take place throughout the year, wild animals are characterized by seasonality. In addition, the efficiency of the reproductive process is influenced by environmental factors such as disease, stress, trauma, availability of a feeding base (abundance of the environment), toxins, competition in the habitat, and many others.

The aim of the Special Issue is to present how the biotope creates reproductive processes in wild fauna, mainly in mammals, to learn how the endocrine profile in these animals changes in correlation with the course of reproductive functions, and to find out which cellular mechanisms are involved in reproductive behavior. It is also important to recognize the physiology of reproduction at a basic level in individual free-living fauna, as there is still a knowledge gap in this area.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Anna. J. Korzekwa
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • reproduction
  • wild mammals
  • behavior
  • biotope
  • reproductive seasonality
  • endocrine regulation
  • environment

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1122 KB  
Article
Effective Cryopreservation of Post Mortem-Collected Roe Deer Gametes by Evaluation of Post-Thaw Oocyte and Sperm Characteristics and In Vitro Fertilization
by Anna Justyna Korzekwa, Elena Buzan, Bostjan Pokorny, Gulsum Ummu Boztepe, Marek Lecewicz and Władysław Kordan
Animals 2025, 15(16), 2335; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15162335 - 9 Aug 2025
Viewed by 296
Abstract
The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of semen cryopreservation and oocyte vitrification in roe deer as a potential method of gamete preservation for endangered deer species. Sperm were isolated from the cauda epididymis of fourteen bucks (n = 14). The motility [...] Read more.
The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of semen cryopreservation and oocyte vitrification in roe deer as a potential method of gamete preservation for endangered deer species. Sperm were isolated from the cauda epididymis of fourteen bucks (n = 14). The motility measure (CASA) and morphology of fresh semen (FS) and frozen–thawed semen (TS) were compared. A hyaluronic binding assay was used to distinguish between mature FS spermatozoa expressing hyaluronan receptors and immature FS lacking these receptors, and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in TS was determined (flow cytometry). A Sperm–Hyaluronan Binding Assay (HBA) showed a viability rate of 61.9% in FS and 78.2% in TS. Oocytes received from eight does (n = 8) underwent a viability test and vitrification, and fresh oocytes from the other eight does (n = 8) were fertilized with TS and embryos were cultured until the blastocyst stage. The number of isolated oocytes, cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs), cleaved embryos, and expanded blastocysts was evaluated. Higher percentages of morphological factors (acrosome, head, midpiece, and tail shape) were observed in FS compared to TS, whereas the motility and progressive movement were greater in TS (p ≤ 0.001). The viability was 50.5% and MMP was 40.6% in TS. A total of 311 oocytes were collected and from 150 COCs and 125 blastocysts developed. The viability of thawed oocytes after vitrification was 81%. The viability of vitrified oocytes and cryopreserved sperm confirmed the effectiveness of freezing protocols and highlights the potential for their implementation in other deer species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Behavior of Wild Animals)
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