Course Description
The principles of reproductive endocrinology will be taught using the bird as a model species. Research findings from humans and farm animal species will also be utilized to provide the most complete and current information on the hormonal control of reproduction. Emphasis will also be placed on follicular development, spermatogenesis, fertilization, endocrine disruptors, sex determination and selection, sexual differentiation, and embryology.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Write a term paper on some aspect of reproductive physiology of the fowl or lead a team of students in the conduct of a research project. The graduate student would be responsible for literature review and data analyses. The graduate student would serve as the leader of a team of undergraduates who would carry out research in some aspect of avian reproduction.
Athena Title
REPRO ENDOCRINOLOGY
Prerequisite
BIOL 1108-1108L
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will acquire a fundamental knowledge of reproductive endocrinology. Students will learn to analyze data and to integrate complex endocrine interactions through case study questions and essay-based examinations. Students will also gain an appreciation for the evolutionary selection pressures that have shaped the differences in reproduction in mammalian versus avian species. Students will be presented the biological roles that endocrine disruptors and environmental estrogens could play in reproduction and allowed to determine based on scientific literature the influence these compounds are having on current and future reproductive success in various animal species. Finally, students will learn to integrate their knowledge about avian reproductive biology into management practices that maximize reproductive success and efficiency in species of commercial and public interest.
Topical Outline
I. Basic principles of endocrinology, research methodology II. Hypothalamus/pituitary/ovary axis A. Role of nutrition in sexual maturation 1. Leptin 2. Ghrelin 3. Other hormones involved (such as resistin and adiponectin) B. Environmental cues to reproduction 1. Types of cues 2. Temperate vs. tropical bird species 3. Photoperiod a. Absolute vs. relative photorefractoriness C. Hypothalamus (LHRH, GnRH, GnIH, Kisspeptin) D. Pituitary hormones (LH, FSH, mesotocin and vasotocin) E. Ovary 1. Ovarian development 2. Follicular structure 3. Yolk synthesis 4. Hormones produced and their function a. Steroidogenesis 5. Follicular atresia a. Apoptosis 6. Follicular hierarchy and follicular development a. Hormone maintenance F. Negative and positive hormone feedback mechanisms G. Ovulation 1. Mechanisms for timing 2. Hormonal regulation H. Ovarian cancer III. Male reproductive physiology A. Testes 1. Anatomy and physiology a. Accessory organs 2. Hormonal control of maturation 3. Spermatogenesis a. Hormones involved b. Sperm morphology c. Duration B. Semen characteristics C. Semen analysis D. Declining sperm counts in human populations E. Prostate and testicular cancer in humans F. Endocrine disrupters 1. What are they? 2. Mode of action 3. Examples G. Biology behind the lack of a copulatory organ in most birds IV. Fertilization A. Sperm storage in oviduct 1. Why it is physiologically necessary 2. Sperm storage tubules and their physiology 3. Sperm selection by female B. Perivitelline membrane proteins C. Syngamy and the acrosome reaction D. Sex determination and selection E. Sexual differentiation V. Egg formation and expulsion A. Oviduct sections and their function B. Components of the egg and their function 1. Microbial considerations 2. Practical considerations VI. Biology of egg clutch size VII. Biology of incubation in contrast to pregnancy A. Strategies of incubation B. Hormonal control of incubation C. Metabolism and use of body reserves VIII. Hatching biology A. Synchronous vs. asynchronous B. Precocious vs. altricial IX. Embryology A. Gastrulation B. Development of extraembryonic membranes C. Formation of the circulatory system and other major organs
Syllabus