Animal Reproduction Archives - Dr. Carin Bondar

Misdirected Courtship and Sex With Other Species

January 20, 2021 0

Evolution should select for individuals that employ ways of discerning members of their own species from any others. Reproductive success of those engaing in sex with organisms of another species should therefore be drastically reduced. […]

The Environment Affects The Size Of These Bird Eggs

December 30, 2020 0

Female birds can change egg contents based on social status, the qualities of dad, and in response to environmental factors. For example, when population density is high and a female’s chicks are likely to experience […]

Algae Helps These Males Increase Their Reproductive Success

December 9, 2020 0

We’ve discussed how environmental cues can be just as important as direct sexual signals. What happens when the environment is altered in such a way that sexual signals take on a whole new meaning? Phosphate […]

Environmental Cues Can Be Just As Important As Sexual Signals

December 2, 2020 0

As well as being required to make reliable assessments about sexual partners based on their physical and behavioural characteristics, animals (humans included) need to have the ability to revise these assessments based on any number […]

When Determining Attractiveness, Personality Matters, Too

November 25, 2020 0

Animal personalities are not simply a matter of aggressive versus non-aggressive types. There is a substantial diversity in the kinds of behaviours that define a temperament, and attractiveness need not be associated with being tough […]

Hermaphrodites in the Animal Kingdom

October 21, 2020 0

As members of a species with separate sexes, humans tend to forget about the suite of organisms out there that are hermaphrodites, simultaneously carrying male and female genitalia. Hermaphroditism is present in 24 of the […]

Pausing Pregnancy: Diapause In Mammalian Species

October 14, 2020 0

You may operate under the false impression that once a sperm has met with an egg and created an embryo, the process cannot be paused and restarted. However, the physiology of many mammalian and primate […]