Selected aspects of female white-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia) reproductive biology in captivity
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430140506.abs Little is known regarding the reproductive biology of the white-faced saki. Although sakis have been in zoos since the mid-1970s, little attention has been paid to the reproductive biology of this threatened species. This study describes the results of a 3-year study of the reproduction of the white-faced saki in captivity. Using noninvasive […]
Puberty in female cavies (Cavia aperea) is affected by photoperiod and social conditions
In many environments, photoperiod is a reliable predictor of ecological conditions. Such predictability generally declines towards low latitudes as the yearly cycle becomes less marked. It has been claimed that photoperiodic effects are small in cavies and guinea pigs that reproduce throughout the year. We here investigated photoperiodic influences on the onset of puberty in […]
Mounting behaviour in finishing pigs: Stable individual differences are not due to dominance or stage of sexual development
Every year around 100 million male piglets are castrated in the EU, usually without anaesthesia or post-operative analgesia. This surgical intervention is painful and stressful. Several main players within the pig industry have voluntarily agreed to end the practice of surgical pig castration in the EU by 2018. One alternative to castration is entire male […]
The hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis: A switch-controlled, condition-sensitive system in the regulation of life history strategies
This article is part of a Special Issue “Puberty and Adolescence”. Life history theory provides an overarching framework for explaining the development of individual differences in reproductive strategies and highlights the role of familial and ecological conditions in regulating pubertal timing. Parental investment and sexual selection models afford a powerful framework for explaining the emergence […]
Puberty and dispersal in a wild primate population
This article is part of a Special Issue “Puberty and Adolescence”. The onset of reproduction is preceded by a host of organismal adjustments and transformations, involving morphological, physiological, and behavioral changes. In highly social mammals, including humans and most nonhuman primates, the timing and nature of maturational processes are affected by the animal’s social milieu […]
Adolescent sleep patterns in humans and laboratory animals
This article is part of a Special Issue “Puberty and Adolescence”. One of the defining characteristics of adolescence in humans is a large shift in the timing and structure of sleep. Some of these changes are easily observable at the behavioral level, such as a shift in sleep patterns from a relatively morning to a […]
Effects of stressors in adolescence on learning and memory in rodent models
This article is part of a Special Issue “Puberty and Adolescence”. Learning and memory is affected by a myriad of factors, including exposure to stressors and the corresponding rise in circulating glucocorticoids. Nevertheless, the effects of stressors depend on the sex, species, the type of stressor used, the duration of exposure, as well as the […]