The aim of the present study was to examine the fertilization ability and mitochondrial function of oocytes derived from cows with or without liver damage. Oocytes were collected from the ovaries of cows with damaged livers (DL) and those of cows with healthy livers (HL), subjected to in vitro maturation, and fertilized in vitro. A significantly high abnormal fertilization rate was observed for...

With increasing attention being paid to the consequences of global biodiversity losses, several recent studies have demonstrated that realistic species losses can have larger impacts than random species losses on community productivity and resilience. However, little is known about the effects of the order in which species are lost on biodiversity-disease relationships. Using a multiyear nitrog...

Pinus halepensis Mill. is a Mediterranean pioneer forest species with shade intolerance features. The 15 purpose of this study is to better understand how stand fertility and allelopathic properties of adult trees influence 16 shade acclimation of saplings. Crown growth and morphological plasticity were studied under different light, 17 fertilization, and allelopathic conditions in a nursery ex...

Genital tract abnormalities and adverse pregnancy outcome are well known in women exposed in utero to diethylstilboestrol (DES). Data about adverse reproductive performance in women exposed to DES have been published, including controversial reports of menstrual dysfunction, poor responses after ovarian stimulation, oocyte maturation and fertilization abnormalities. We compared oocyte quality, ...

Differences in ploidy levels among different fern species have a vast influence on their mating system, their colonization ability and on the gene flow among populations. Differences in the colonization abilities of species with different ploidy levels are well known: tetraploids, in contrast to diploids, are able to undergo intra-gametophytic selfing. Because fertilization is a post-dispersal ...

Abstract Foliar fertilization is one of the crucial ways for continued cultivation date palm, obtaining best results growth and production, in addition to possibility reduce damage from abiotic stress. Although subjected palm an annual program, it faces some challenges, including low soil availability nutrients, dryness surface, root activity breeding period, alkalinity, as well water scarcity ...

Uses and potential uses of in vitro fertilization are: (1) a research tool for investigating biochemistry of fertilization, (2) an assay for fertilizing ability, (3) a potentially useful clinical approach for certain cases of infertility, and (4) a potentially useful means for improving animal breeding. In vitro fertilization methodology is sufficiently advanced for gametes of several mammalian...

Fertilization in sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, is the result of a series of interactions between the egg and sperm. Microfilament formation has been implicated in both the acrosomal process formation and the entry of the sperm into the egg. Changes in internal calcium concentrations have been linked to exocytosis reactions that occur in both the egg and the sperm. Therefore, the d...

In many animals, male seminal proteins influence gamete interactions and fertilization ability and are probably involved in barriers to gene flow between diverging lineages. Here we use a proteomic approach to identify seminal proteins that are transferred to females during copulation and that may be involved in fertilization barriers between two hybridizing field crickets (Gryllus firmus and G...