Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques
SIMPLE SUMMARY: Polar bears are threatened by habitat loss, decreased food availability, and reduced reproductive success due to climate change. Zoo populations can support species survival through preservation of genetic diversity and maintenance of insurance populations, but in the US, the zoo pol...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:8868262 2023-05-15T18:42:26+02:00 Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques Wojtusik, Jessye Roth, Terri L. Curry, Erin 2022-02-11 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8868262/ https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040430 en eng MDPI http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8868262/ http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani12040430 © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). CC-BY Animals (Basel) Case Report Text 2022 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040430 2022-02-27T01:52:09Z SIMPLE SUMMARY: Polar bears are threatened by habitat loss, decreased food availability, and reduced reproductive success due to climate change. Zoo populations can support species survival through preservation of genetic diversity and maintenance of insurance populations, but in the US, the zoo polar bear population is currently not sustainable. The development of sperm collection and cryopreservation can help to support the population by providing the biomaterial needed for assisted reproductive techniques, such as artificial insemination. However, these procedures are not well described for polar bears. Data from 38 opportunistic sperm collections, that were conducted between 2011 and 2021, were assessed to establish best practices to date for collecting and preserving polar bear sperm. The information gathered demonstrates that urethral catheterization is an efficient method of sperm collection, sperm can be rescued postmortem from the vasa deferentia and epididymides, and polar bear sperm collection appears to be most effective during the breeding season. Furthermore, polar bear sperm can survive cryopreservation. Further studies will optimize these techniques, but this summary provides information that is immediately applicable to enhancing sample collection and cryopreservation success that could support the long-term genetic management of polar bears in zoos. ABSTRACT: Assisted reproductive technologies can aid conservation efforts via support of ex situ population management and preservation of genetic material. Data from 38 sperm collection attempts from 17 polar bears (1–5 procedures/bear) were evaluated. Sample collections were attempted via electroejaculation (EEJ; n = 6), urethral catheterization (UC; n = 25), or sperm rescue (SR; n = 7) during the breeding season (Jan. 1-May 21; n = 27) and nonbreeding season (May 22-Dec. 31; n = 11). Sperm retrieval was successful in 1 EEJ (16.7%), 18 UC (72.0%) and 4 SR (57.1%) collections. Initial sperm motility and viability were 50.0% and 77.0% for EEJ, 64.3 ... Text Ursus maritimus PubMed Central (PMC) Vasa ENVELOPE(25.177,25.177,67.587,67.587) Animals 12 4 430 |
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Case Report Wojtusik, Jessye Roth, Terri L. Curry, Erin Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques |
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Case Report |
description |
SIMPLE SUMMARY: Polar bears are threatened by habitat loss, decreased food availability, and reduced reproductive success due to climate change. Zoo populations can support species survival through preservation of genetic diversity and maintenance of insurance populations, but in the US, the zoo polar bear population is currently not sustainable. The development of sperm collection and cryopreservation can help to support the population by providing the biomaterial needed for assisted reproductive techniques, such as artificial insemination. However, these procedures are not well described for polar bears. Data from 38 opportunistic sperm collections, that were conducted between 2011 and 2021, were assessed to establish best practices to date for collecting and preserving polar bear sperm. The information gathered demonstrates that urethral catheterization is an efficient method of sperm collection, sperm can be rescued postmortem from the vasa deferentia and epididymides, and polar bear sperm collection appears to be most effective during the breeding season. Furthermore, polar bear sperm can survive cryopreservation. Further studies will optimize these techniques, but this summary provides information that is immediately applicable to enhancing sample collection and cryopreservation success that could support the long-term genetic management of polar bears in zoos. ABSTRACT: Assisted reproductive technologies can aid conservation efforts via support of ex situ population management and preservation of genetic material. Data from 38 sperm collection attempts from 17 polar bears (1–5 procedures/bear) were evaluated. Sample collections were attempted via electroejaculation (EEJ; n = 6), urethral catheterization (UC; n = 25), or sperm rescue (SR; n = 7) during the breeding season (Jan. 1-May 21; n = 27) and nonbreeding season (May 22-Dec. 31; n = 11). Sperm retrieval was successful in 1 EEJ (16.7%), 18 UC (72.0%) and 4 SR (57.1%) collections. Initial sperm motility and viability were 50.0% and 77.0% for EEJ, 64.3 ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Wojtusik, Jessye Roth, Terri L. Curry, Erin |
author_facet |
Wojtusik, Jessye Roth, Terri L. Curry, Erin |
author_sort |
Wojtusik, Jessye |
title |
Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques |
title_short |
Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques |
title_full |
Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques |
title_fullStr |
Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques |
title_full_unstemmed |
Case Studies in Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sperm Collection and Cryopreservation Techniques |
title_sort |
case studies in polar bear (ursus maritimus) sperm collection and cryopreservation techniques |
publisher |
MDPI |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8868262/ https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040430 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(25.177,25.177,67.587,67.587) |
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Vasa |
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Vasa |
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Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Ursus maritimus |
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Animals (Basel) |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8868262/ http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani12040430 |
op_rights |
© 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
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CC-BY |
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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040430 |
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Animals |
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