The pattern of reproduction in the Libyan jird (Meriones libycus; Rodentia: Muridae) from central Saudi Arabia in the absence of rainfall

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dc.contributor.author Hart, Daniel William
dc.contributor.author Alghamdi, A.A.
dc.contributor.author Bennett, Nigel Charles
dc.contributor.author Mohammed, O.B.
dc.contributor.author Amor, N.M.
dc.contributor.author Alagaili, A.N.
dc.date.accessioned 2019-07-17T14:14:05Z
dc.date.available 2019-07-17T14:14:05Z
dc.date.issued 2019-03
dc.description.abstract The reproductive pattern of the Libyan jird (Meriones libycus Lichtenstein, 1823) from central Saudi Arabia was investigated in the absence of rainfall. In this study, body mass, morphometry of the reproductive tract, the histology of the reproductive organs, and the hormone concentrations of males and females were studied over 12 consecutive months in a wild population of the Libyan jird from central Saudi Arabia. Previous studies have found the breeding season of the Libyan jird from the Sahara desert of Algeria to occur during the wet months of spring. In the absence of rainfall, temperature and photoperiod were found to be important activators of reproductive activity. The cooler temperatures and shorter days of winter triggered the onset of ovulation in females and increased testes size and seminiferous tubule diameter in males. Only two pregnancies were found during the sampling period, which occurred during the cooler winter and early spring and coincided with a rise in plasma progesterone concentration in females. The Libyan jird was found to shift its breeding to the cooler months of winter in the absence of rainfall. This study strengthens the findings that changes in rainfall and temperature in dry deserts are critical cues for the onset of reproduction in small mammals. en_ZA
dc.description.department Zoology and Entomology en_ZA
dc.description.librarian hj2019 en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorship The Deanship of Scientific Research at the King Saud University through Vice Deanship of Research Chairs and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) through Graduate Research Program. N.C.B. acknowledges funding from the SARChI chair of Mammalian Behavioural Ecology and Physiology from the DST–NRF South Africa, the National Research Foundation (grant No. 64756), and the University of Pretoria. en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/journal/cjz en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Hart, D.W., Alghamdi, A.A., Bennett, N.C. et al 2019, 'The pattern of reproduction in the Libyan jird (Meriones libycus; Rodentia: Muridae) from central Saudi Arabia in the absence of rainfall', Canadian Journal of Zoology, vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 210-219. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 0008-4301 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1480-3283 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1139/cjz-2017-0317
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70758
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher NRC Research Press en_ZA
dc.rights Copyright remains with the author(s) or their institution(s). en_ZA
dc.subject Arabian spiny mouse (Acomys dimidiatus) en_ZA
dc.subject Seasonal reproduction en_ZA
dc.subject Energy intake en_ZA
dc.subject Gerbillus en_ZA
dc.subject Androgens en_ZA
dc.subject Responses en_ZA
dc.subject Salinity en_ZA
dc.subject Libyan jird (Meriones libycus) en_ZA
dc.subject Absence of rainfall en_ZA
dc.subject Histology en_ZA
dc.subject Seasonality en_ZA
dc.subject Temperature en_ZA
dc.subject Reproduction en_ZA
dc.title The pattern of reproduction in the Libyan jird (Meriones libycus; Rodentia: Muridae) from central Saudi Arabia in the absence of rainfall en_ZA
dc.type Postprint Article en_ZA


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