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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(4); doi: 10.3390/ani13040582

Interspecific and Intraspecific Artificial Insemination in Domestic Equids.

Abstract: Horses and donkeys differ phenotypically and karyotypically, although they can interbreed freely. Eight Standardbred mares and nine Amiata donkey jennies were included in the study. Semen was collected from two horses and two donkey stallions of proven fertility. A first pregnancy diagnosis was performed on day 10 after ovulation and repeated every day until embryo detection or until day 16. Irrespectively of the sire species, pregnancy rates in horse females (20/30, 66.7%) were significantly higher than in donkey females (19/70, 27.1%) (p < 0.05), while horse and donkey males did not affect pregnancy rates. Comparing overall intraspecific and interspecific AI, pregnancy rates were 25/37 (67.6%) and 14/63 (22.2%), respectively (p = 0.0001). The lowest pregnancy rate was obtained when inseminating jennies with horse stallion semen (8/49, 16.3%). No statistical differences were found when comparing embryo diameters, day at first pregnancy diagnosis, or in vitro embryo morphological quality among groups. In this study, much poorer results were obtained with jennies than with mares. Interspecific AI resulted in lower pregnancy rates than intraspecific Al, and AI to produce hinny hybrids resulted in the lowest pregnancy rate. Further studies are required to better understand the mechanism involved in such different outcomes in relation to intra- and interspecific breeding in domestic equids.
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Publication Date: 2023-02-07 PubMed ID: 36830369PubMed Central: PMC9951644DOI: 10.3390/ani13040582Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research explores the effectiveness of interspecific (different species) and intraspecific (same species) artificial insemination in horses and donkeys. It shows that horses generally have a higher pregnancy rate and that interspecies breeding, specially of donkeys with horse semen, results in lower pregnancy rates.

Study Conduct and Analysis

  • The researchers involved eight Standardbred horse mares, nine Amiata donkey jennies, two horse stallions, and two donkey stallions in the study.
  • Semen was collected from the horse and donkey stallions and used for artificial insemination (AI).
  • A pregnancy diagnosis was performed beginning on the 10th day after ovulation and continued daily until an embryo was detected or until the 16th day.

Findings

  • The researchers found that the species of the sire (father) did not significantly affect the pregnancy rates, but the species of the female did.
  • Horse females had significantly higher pregnancy rates (66.7%) compared to donkey females (27.1%).
  • The lowest pregnancy rate was seen when donkey females were inseminated with horse male semen (16.3%).
  • Overall, interspecific AI (between different species) resulted in lower pregnancy rates (22.2%) compared to intraspecific AI (within the same species, 67.6%).
  • The researchers did not find any significant differences in terms of embryo diameters, the day of first pregnancy diagnosis, or the in vitro (in laboratory conditions) embryo morphological quality among groups.

Interpretations and Implications

  • Generally, pregnancy outcomes were poorer with donkeys (jennies) than with horses (mares).
  • The research demonstrates lower success rates for interspecific breeding, particularly when attempting to produce a hinny hybrid (offspring of a male horse and female donkey).
  • The study indicates a need for further research to better understand the mechanisms behind the significantly different outcomes seen in intra- and interspecific breeding in domestic equids (horses and donkeys).

Cite This Article

APA
Fanelli D, Moroni R, Bocci C, Camillo F, Rota A, Panzani D. (2023). Interspecific and Intraspecific Artificial Insemination in Domestic Equids. Animals (Basel), 13(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040582

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 4

Researcher Affiliations

Fanelli, Diana
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, Pisa University, Via Livornese, San Piero a Grado, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Moroni, Rebecca
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, Pisa University, Via Livornese, San Piero a Grado, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Bocci, Carlotta
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, Pisa University, Via Livornese, San Piero a Grado, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Camillo, Francesco
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, Pisa University, Via Livornese, San Piero a Grado, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Rota, Alessandra
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, Pisa University, Via Livornese, San Piero a Grado, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Panzani, Duccio
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, Pisa University, Via Livornese, San Piero a Grado, 56124 Pisa, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
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