Conservation and Research Department, PDX Wildlife, PO Box 42604, Portland, OR 97202, USA.
Conserv Biol. 2012 Aug;26(4):649-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01880.x.
Success of captive-breeding programs centers on consistent reproduction among captive animals. However, many individuals do not reproduce even when they are apparently healthy and presented with mates. Mate choice can affect multiple parameters of reproductive success, including mating success, offspring production, offspring survival, and offspring fecundity. We investigated the role of familiarity and preference on reproductive success of female Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) as measured by litter production, litter size, average number of young that emerged from the burrow, and average number of young that survived to 1 year. We conducted these studies on pygmy rabbits at the Oregon Zoo (Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.) and Washington State University (Pullman, Washington, U.S.A.) from February to June 2006, 2007, and 2008. Before mating, we housed each female adjacent to 2 males (neighbors). Female preference for each potential mate was determined on the basis of behavioral interactions observed and measured between the rabbits. We compared reproductive success between females mated with neighbor and non-neighbor males and between females mated with preferred and nonpreferred males. Our findings suggest that mating with a neighbor compared with a non-neighbor and mating with a preferred neighbor compared with a nonpreferred neighbor increased reproductive success in female pygmy rabbits. Litter production, average number of young that emerged, and average number of young that survived to 1 year were higher in rabbits that were neighbors before mating than in animals who were not neighbors. Pairing rabbits with a preferred partner increased the probability of producing a litter and was significantly associated with increased litter size. In captive breeding programs, mates are traditionally selected on the basis of genetic parameters to minimize loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding coefficients. Our results suggest that integrating genetic information with social dynamics and behavioral measures of preference may increase the reproductive output of the pygmy rabbit captive-breeding program. Our findings are consistent with the idea that allowing mate choice and familiarity increase the reproductive success of captive-breeding programs for endangered species.
人工繁殖计划的成功取决于圈养动物的持续繁殖。然而，许多个体即使在身体健康且有配偶的情况下也不繁殖。配偶选择会影响繁殖成功的多个参数，包括交配成功、后代生产、后代存活和后代繁殖力。我们研究了熟悉度和偏好对哥伦比亚盆地侏儒兔（Brachylagus idahoensis）繁殖成功的影响，其繁殖成功的衡量标准为产仔数、窝仔数、出洞幼兔平均数量和存活至 1 岁的幼兔平均数量。我们于 2006 年 2 月至 6 月、2007 年和 2008 年在俄勒冈动物园（美国俄勒冈州波特兰市）和华盛顿州立大学（美国华盛顿州普尔曼市）对侏儒兔进行了这些研究。在交配前，我们将每只雌性兔子与 2 只雄性兔子（邻居）放在一起饲养。根据兔子之间观察到的行为互动和测量结果，确定雌性对每个潜在配偶的偏好。我们比较了与邻居交配的雌性与非邻居交配的雌性之间以及与偏好的邻居交配的雌性与非偏好的邻居交配的雌性之间的繁殖成功。我们的研究结果表明，与非邻居相比，与邻居交配，与偏好的邻居相比，与非偏好的邻居交配，雌性侏儒兔的繁殖成功率更高。在交配前是邻居的兔子比不是邻居的兔子产仔数更高，出洞幼兔的平均数量和存活至 1 岁的幼兔的平均数量也更高。与偏好的伴侣配对增加了产仔的可能性，并与窝仔数的增加显著相关。在人工繁殖计划中，传统上是根据遗传参数选择配偶，以最大限度地减少遗传多样性的丧失和近交系数。我们的研究结果表明，将遗传信息与社交动态和偏好的行为测量相结合，可能会提高侏儒兔人工繁殖计划的繁殖产出。我们的研究结果与以下观点一致，即允许配偶选择和熟悉度会增加濒危物种人工繁殖计划的繁殖成功率。
