True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare
Species recovery through captive breeding can be hindered by low reproductive success. However, we know little about the drivers of early reproductive failure in captive populations, due to difficulties distinguishing fertilisation failure from early embryo mortality in most animals. Here, we apply...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425002884 |
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| author | Ashleigh F. Marshall François Balloux Liz Brown Edmund Flach Anne Richardson Tammy E. Steeves Simon Spiro Gary Ward Nicola Hemmings Patricia Brekke |
| author_facet | Ashleigh F. Marshall François Balloux Liz Brown Edmund Flach Anne Richardson Tammy E. Steeves Simon Spiro Gary Ward Nicola Hemmings Patricia Brekke |
| author_sort | Ashleigh F. Marshall |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Species recovery through captive breeding can be hindered by low reproductive success. However, we know little about the drivers of early reproductive failure in captive populations, due to difficulties distinguishing fertilisation failure from early embryo mortality in most animals. Here, we apply advanced fertility diagnostics on unhatched eggs from 30 avian captive-breeding programs, to assess true rates of fertilisation failure. We find that fertilisation failure is rare across all species, and the main driver of early reproductive failure is early embryo mortality. We also find that macroscopic examination of undeveloped eggs inflates estimates of fertilisation failure rates in breeding programmes. Finally, we find no evidence that fertilisation failure rates are higher in threatened than non-threatened captive birds, providing hope that with careful management, hatching outcomes may be improved in threatened captive populations. Our results show that accurate fertility diagnosis in managed oviparous species provides crucial information on individual reproductive potential, helping the design of more appropriate management interventions to improve recovery. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ffb1163d29df400e99b11bd3b26b5d56 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-ffb1163d29df400e99b11bd3b26b5d562025-08-20T03:30:32ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-09-0161e0368710.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03687True fertilisation failure in captivity is rareAshleigh F. Marshall0François Balloux1Liz Brown2Edmund Flach3Anne Richardson4Tammy E. Steeves5Simon Spiro6Gary Ward7Nicola Hemmings8Patricia Brekke9Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UKDepartment of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UKNew Zealand Department of Conservation, Twizel, New ZealandZoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UKThe Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, Christchurch, New ZealandSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandZoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UKZoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UKSchool of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UKInstitute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Corresponding author at: Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UKSpecies recovery through captive breeding can be hindered by low reproductive success. However, we know little about the drivers of early reproductive failure in captive populations, due to difficulties distinguishing fertilisation failure from early embryo mortality in most animals. Here, we apply advanced fertility diagnostics on unhatched eggs from 30 avian captive-breeding programs, to assess true rates of fertilisation failure. We find that fertilisation failure is rare across all species, and the main driver of early reproductive failure is early embryo mortality. We also find that macroscopic examination of undeveloped eggs inflates estimates of fertilisation failure rates in breeding programmes. Finally, we find no evidence that fertilisation failure rates are higher in threatened than non-threatened captive birds, providing hope that with careful management, hatching outcomes may be improved in threatened captive populations. Our results show that accurate fertility diagnosis in managed oviparous species provides crucial information on individual reproductive potential, helping the design of more appropriate management interventions to improve recovery.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425002884BirdsCaptive-breedingEmbryo mortalityEndangered speciesFertilityHatching success |
| spellingShingle | Ashleigh F. Marshall François Balloux Liz Brown Edmund Flach Anne Richardson Tammy E. Steeves Simon Spiro Gary Ward Nicola Hemmings Patricia Brekke True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare Global Ecology and Conservation Birds Captive-breeding Embryo mortality Endangered species Fertility Hatching success |
| title | True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare |
| title_full | True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare |
| title_fullStr | True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare |
| title_full_unstemmed | True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare |
| title_short | True fertilisation failure in captivity is rare |
| title_sort | true fertilisation failure in captivity is rare |
| topic | Birds Captive-breeding Embryo mortality Endangered species Fertility Hatching success |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425002884 |
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