Keeley T, McGreevy P D, O'Brien J K
University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Reprod Fertil Dev. 2012;24(7):999-1007. doi: 10.1071/RD11134.
Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is the cause of the rapid decline of wild Tasmanian devils. Female devils are seasonal breeders with births peaking during autumn (i.e. March) but the degree of reproductive seasonality in male devils is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the potential effects of season and DFTD on reproductive function in male devils (n=55). Testicular (1.90±0.23 g) and epididymal (0.90±0.06 g) weights were maximal during autumn and spring (P<0.05), whereas prostate (3.71±0.74 g) and Cowper's gland (0.68±0.22; 0.52±0.21 g) weights peaked during autumn (P<0.001). The motility of spermatozoa from the cauda epididymides extracted post-mortem was similar (P>0.05) across season and disease state (31.5±13.1% total motility). Testicular and epididymal weights were no different between animals displaying late or early-stage DTFD signs or disease-free animals (P>0.1). The accessory sex glands were larger in late-stage DFTD animals than in animals with early-stage disease signs or which were disease-free (P<0.01) but effects of season on this result can't be excluded. Serum testosterone concentrations peaked during summer (0.25±0.18 ng mL(-1)) but values were not different from the preceding and subsequent seasons (P>0.05), nor influenced by disease stage (P>0.1). Seasonal and DFTD-related changes in serum cortisol concentrations were not evident (P>0.1). Male devil reproduction does not appear to be restricted by season nor inhibited by DFTD.
袋獾面部肿瘤病（DFTD）是导致野生塔斯马尼亚袋獾数量迅速减少的原因。雌性袋獾是季节性繁殖动物，秋季（即3月）分娩量达到峰值，但雄性袋獾的繁殖季节性程度尚不清楚。本研究的目的是检验季节和DFTD对雄性袋獾（n = 55）生殖功能的潜在影响。睾丸（1.90±0.23 g）和附睾（0.90±0.06 g）重量在秋季和春季最大（P<0.05），而前列腺（3.71±0.74 g）和考珀氏腺（0.68±0.22；0.52±0.21 g）重量在秋季达到峰值（P<0.001）。死后从附睾尾部提取的精子活力在不同季节和疾病状态下相似（P>0.05）（总活力为31.5±13.1%）。表现出DFTD晚期或早期症状的动物与无病动物的睾丸和附睾重量没有差异（P>0.1）。晚期DFTD动物的附属性腺比有早期疾病症状或无病的动物更大（P<0.01），但不能排除季节对这一结果的影响。血清睾酮浓度在夏季达到峰值（0.25±0.18 ng mL(-1)），但与前一季和后一季的值没有差异（P>0.05），也不受疾病阶段影响（P>0.1）。血清皮质醇浓度没有明显的季节性和与DFTD相关的变化（P>0.1）。雄性袋獾的繁殖似乎不受季节限制，也不受DFTD抑制。
