Author
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Bakst, Murray |
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Submitted to: Perspectives In Fertilization And Embryonic Development In Poultry
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 9/10/2001 Publication Date: 9/1/2001 Citation: Bakst, M.R. Oviducal sperm and fertilisation in poultry. In: Perspectives in Fertilisation and Embryonic Development in Poultry, Proceedings from the meeting of the Incubation & Fertility Research Group, Oxford, England, September 2001. Ratite Conference Books, Oxford, UK. pp. 1-6. 2001. Interpretive Summary: The bird is capable of laying a succession of fertile eggs. This is possible because the female is equipped with sperm storage tubules. These are discreet small tubules localized in the upper end of the vagina. Sperm which reside here are released over days or even weeks and then ascend to the site of fertilization at the upper end of the oviduct. In this chapter, our current knowledge regarding the fate of sperm in the oviduct is briefly reviewed, particularly sperm storage at the distal end of the oviduct, and sperm:ovum interaction at the anterior end of the oviduct. Technical Abstract: If the ovum is to be fertilised, it will take place in the infundibulum. Here sperm interacting with the ovum may have resided in the hen's sperm- storage tubules (SST) located at the utero-vaginal junction (UVJ) for a day, or weeks, following insemination. If fertilised, the developing embryo would have rapidly divided (see Fasenko, this volume) and at the time of oviposition, an embryo (blastoderm) of 60,000 cells (chicken) or 30,000 cells (turkey) can be discerned on the surface of the ovum. In this chapter, our current knowledge regarding the fate of sperm in the oviduct is briefly reviewed, particularly sperm storage at the distal end of the oviduct, and sperm:ovum interaction at the anterior end of the oviduct. |
