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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409563
Research Project: Biophotonics - Emerging Imaging Technologies for Food Animal Research

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Effects of wild, semi-captive, and captive management onmale Chiricahua leopard frog sperm quality withimplications for conservation breeding programs

Author
item JULIEN, ALLISON - Mississippi State University
item COUNSELL, KRISTEN - Mississippi State University
item BURGER, ISABELLA - Mississippi State University
item KOUBA, ANDREW - Mississippi State University
item BARBER, DIANE - Fort Worth Zoo

Submitted to: Conservation Science and Practice
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/21/2022
Publication Date: 11/30/2022
Citation: Julien, A., Counsell, K., Burger, I., Kouba, A.J., Barber, D. 2022. Effects of wild, semi-captive, and captive management onmale Chiricahua leopard frog sperm quality withimplications for conservation breeding programs. Conservation Science and Practice. 5(1).e12864-74. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12864.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12864

Interpretive Summary: This study demonstrates that hormone therapies are a successful tool for eliciting sperm from L. chiricahuensis and provides insight into the long-term effects of captivity on sperm out-put. Due to their dwindling populations and low natural breeding success in captivity, the use of ART and alternative semi-captive housing for threatened species may be important strategies for increasing offspring numbers and enhancing breeding of non-mammalian taxa.

Technical Abstract: The Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) is a threatened species endemic to the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. Captive breeding programs were established to support reintroduction efforts, yet reproductive output has been lower than needed for recovery of the species. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of captivity on amphibian reproduction by (1) determining if captive, semi-captive, and wild male chiricahuensis produce sperm at similar rates and concentration in response to hormone treatment; and (2) evaluating the quality of sperm obtained overtime from these populations. Males from captive, semi-captive, and wild locations were administered a combination of human chorionic gonadotropin and gonadotropin releasing hormone to stimulate sperm production and release. A high percentage of males in the captive (60%), semi-captive (100%), and wild(95.3%) populations produced sperm following treatment. Sperm quality (for-ward progressive motility and total sperm motility) did not differ between groups. However, sperm quantity (sperm/ml) differed (p< .05) between populations, with semi-captive and wild males producing higher concentrations of sperm than captive males. These results suggest that Chiricahua leopard frog sperm quantity, but not quality, may become negatively impacted by long term captivity in indoor, controlled settings.