BACKGROUND Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) breed almost exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere. However, since the early 1980's, a small disjunct breeding population has become established in eastern Argentina, presumably by birds previously derived from those breeding in North America. Currently, it is unknown where these individuals go following breeding and how they have adjusted to a revers...

Variability in breeding programmes for self-fertilised crops is created by crossing, and if the value of the crosses cannot be predicted in advance then this uncertainty means that a strategy of making many crosses is appropriate. However, since there is a limit to the capacity of a breeding programme, the more crosses that are made the smaller the size of each cross (F2 population size or numb...

A total of 684 sows from breeding groups over 6 wk was used to compare three methods of feeding during gestation on gestation and lactation performance. Control gilts and sows were fed according to body condition based on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = thin, 5 = fat). Sows were visually assessed for body condition at breeding and were assigned a daily feed allowance to achieve a BCS of 3 at farrowing. ...

Spotted seals (Phoca largha) and related crossbreeds maintained at Kamogawa Sea World breed seasonally from the end of January to middle of March. For contraception in these animals, the effect of a single administration of a contraceptive synthetic luteal hormone for dogs, proligestone (PRG), was investigated. The animals tested were 10 seals aged 4-24 years old, and a total of 35 trials were ...

A proper dialogue between spermatozoa and the egg is essential for conception of a new individual in sexually reproducing animals. Ca(2+) is crucial in orchestrating this unique event leading to a new life. No wonder that nature has devised different Ca(2+)-permeable channels and located them at distinct sites in spermatozoa so that they can help fertilize the egg. New tools to study sperm ioni...

Zoos and other ex situ wildlife institutions can play an important role in species conservation by maintaining populations for education and research, as sources for potential re-introduction or reinforcement, and as ambassadors for financial support of in situ conservation. However, many regional zoo associations are realizing that current captive populations are unsustainable, with many progr...

Breeding new cultivars is a slow and expensive process, but genetic screening tools exist to improve efficiency. We employed the marker-assisted breeding (MAB) Pipeline approach to facilitate routine use of MAB in the Washington apple breeding program. This study traced the journey of one marker-locus-trait (M-L-T) association from publication through high-throughput PCR-based genetic testing t...

Acceleration of genetic improvement of autogamous crops such as wheat and rice is necessary to increase cereal production in response to the global food crisis. Population and pedigree methods of breeding, which are based on inbred line selection, are used commonly in the genetic improvement of autogamous crops. These methods, however, produce a few novel combinations of genes in a breeding pop...