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Chicks produced in the Magellanic penguin ( Spheniscus magellanicus ) after cloacal insemination of frozen‐thawed semen
Author(s) -
O'Brien Justine Kellie,
Steinman Karen J.,
Montano Gisele A.,
Dubach Jean M.,
Robeck Todd R.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.21304
Subject(s) - biology , insemination , artificial insemination , cryopreservation , semen , hatchling , andrology , sperm , human fertilization , seasonal breeder , anatomy , zoology , embryo , pregnancy , fishery , botany , genetics , hatching , medicine
The in vitro and in vivo functionality of cryopreserved spermatozoa was examined over two breeding seasons in a zoological colony of Magellanic penguins ( Spheniscus magellanicus ). Frozen‐thawed semen was inseminated into five anesthetized females, over a total of eight egg production cycles, with a different male used for each artificial insemination (AI) within each season. Females were maintained within the colony in cordoned nest sites to prevent copulation with their paired male, and were inseminated every 3–10 days until the first oviposition. Semen frozen from seven males using a straw method retained 39.8%, 25.7%, 74.0%, and 52.1% of its initial total motility, progressive motility, average path velocity, and plasma membrane integrity, respectively. Normal morphology of motile cells was reduced ( P < 0.05) during freeze‐thawing from 76.7% immediately prior to freezing to 65.3% post‐thawing. Conceptive females received 1.6 ± 0.2 inseminations before the first oviposition, with 19.2 ± 1.6 × 10 6 motile, morphologically normal spermatozoa per insemination. Overall fertility was 53.3% (8/15 eggs), hatchability was 50.0% (4/8), and genetic analyses confirmed that all embryos and hatchlings were sired by the AI male. Fertile eggs were laid at 4.0–12.1 days after AI, indicating that frozen‐thawed spermatozoa resided in the female reproductive tract for up to ∼7.2 days prior to fertilization. Results demonstrate that frozen‐thawed Magellanic penguin spermatozoa are fully functional in vivo and support the use of genome banking and AI as tools for managing the sustainability of zoological penguin populations. Zoo Biol. 35:326–338, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.