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Reproductive activity in males of Sceloporus variabilis : Little time to rest, long time to breed
Author(s) -
PeñaHerrera Eric,
VillagránSantaCruz Maricela,
HernándezGallegos Oswaldo,
Rheubert Justin L.,
Gribbins Kevin M.,
GranadosGonzález Gisela
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acta zoologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1463-6395
pISSN - 0001-7272
DOI - 10.1111/azo.12275
Subject(s) - biology , breed , sampling (signal processing) , period (music) , spermatogenesis , zoology , annual cycle , physiology , ecology , endocrinology , physics , filter (signal processing) , computer science , acoustics , computer vision
The reproductive activity of reptiles is typically assessed using monthly sampling. The spermatogenic cycle of Sceloporus variabilis was recently assessed using the aforementioned methodology, and only two spermatogenic phases (recrudescence and maximum activity) were observed. The authors hypothesized that quiescence and regression must occur in a short period (less than a month), which was not visualized by their monthly sampling methods. Thus, the entire spermatogenic cycle displayed by this species may have not been adequately represented. The present study assessed the spermatogenic cycle of S. variabilis in those months where the spermatogenic activity passes from maximum activity (July) to recrudescence (August) using weekly sampling to test the hypothesis that quiescence and regression do indeed occur. The results showed a regression period for 2 weeks, whereas quiescence was not observed. These results lead us to two hypotheses: (a) quiescence occurs in a very short period (days/hours) or (b) does not occur in this species. The data generated in this study suggest that species exhibiting rapid changes in spermatogenic activity need to be assessed at more frequent intervals to accurately depict the spermatogenic stages.