Physiological and behavioral responses of rams to the smell of ewe urine at estrous and diestrous stage

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  • TAKEMURA Yuji
    Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
  • OZASA Naoko
    Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
  • NUSHI Kentaro
    Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
  • KAMADA Toshihiko
    Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
  • SUGANO Shigeru
    Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

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Other Title
  • 発情期および非発情期の雌ヒツジ尿のニオイに対する雄ヒツジの生理・行動反応
  • ハツジョウキ オヨビ ヒハツジョウキ ノ メス ヒツジ ニョウ ノ ニオイ ニ タイスル オス ヒツジ ノ セイリ コウドウ ハンノウ

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Abstract

Changes in respiration rate, heart rate and occurrences of sniffing, flehmen and excitement behaviors were observed to elucidate the differences in the physiological and behavioral responses of rams to the presentation of the smell of ewe's urine between estrous and diestrous stages. Three Corriedale ewes (age: 8.4±1.3 years; mean±s.d.) were used for collecting their urine and 5 rams (7.0±3.7 years) were used for observing their responses, respectively. Rams were presented with a cotton puff soaked with urine at estrous (estrus group) and diestrous (diestrus group) stages, or with a urine-free one (control group). For respiration rate, ca 30/min, and ca 80/min increases were observed in control group, and estrus and diestrus groups, respectively. After reaching the peaks respiration rate recovered in control group first, then in diestrus, and latest in estrus group. In heart rate, 6 to 7 /min increases were observed in all groups after the start of presentation. In control and diestrus groups, heart rate started to recover after reaching the first peaks. In estrus group, however, the second ca 8/min peak was observed at about 1 min after the start of presentation. Heart rate recovered in control group first, then in diestrus and latest in estrus group. For sniffing behavior, control group showed it only at the 1 st one-min-period of presentation (occurrence: 20%). In this period, estrus and diestrus groups showed ca 100 or 100% occurrence. At the 2 nd one-min-period, estrus group showed ca 50% occurrence, which was almost 2 times larger than that of diestrus group (20%). For flehmen behavior, control group showed it only at the 1 st one-min-period of presentation (20%). Both estrus and diestrus groups showed ca 80%, 20% and less than 20% occurrences at the 1 st, the 2 nd and the 3rd one-min-period, respectively. For excitement behaviors, control group showed 20% occurrence throughout the observation after the resting period in pre-presentation stage. In estrus and diestrus groups, the presentation elicited ca 70% and 40% increases, respectively. It was concluded that rams show more lasting physiological and behavioral responses to the smell of ewe's urine at estrous stage than that at diestrous stage.

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