Silla AJ and Byrne PG (2019), The Role of Reproductive Technologies in Amphib...

XB-ART-59902

Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2019 Feb 15;7:499-519. doi: 10.1146/annurev-animal-020518-115056.

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The Role of Reproductive Technologies in Amphibian Conservation Breeding Programs.

Silla AJ , Byrne PG .

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Anthropogenic environmental change has led to unprecedented rates of species extinction, presenting a major threat to global biodiversity. Among vertebrates, amphibians have been most severely impacted, with an estimated 41% of species now threatened with extinction. In response to this biodiversity crisis, a moral and ethical obligation exists to implement proactive interventionist conservation actions to assist species recovery and decelerate declines. Conservation breeding programs have been successfully established for several threatened amphibian species globally, aiming to prevent species' extinction by maintaining genetically representative assurance colonies ex situ while providing individuals for population augmentation, translocation, and reestablishment in situ. Reproductive technologies have enormous potential to enhance the propagation and genetic management of threatened species. In this review, we discuss the role of reproductive technologies in amphibian conservation breeding programs and summarize technological advancements in amphibian hormone therapies, gamete storage, and artificial fertilization.

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Species referenced: Xenopus laevis
GO keywords: gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone activity [+]

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	Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing how reproductive technologies can generate offspring of known genetic history. Photographs courtesy of A.J. Silla.
	Figure 2 Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis that regulates gamete release in amphibians. Shown is the mode of action of exogenous hormones: gonadotropin-releasing hormone-a (GnRH-a) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). GnRH-a activates the pituitary to release luteinizing hormone (LH) (hypothalamic approach), whereas hCG mimics LH, binding to target receptors on the gonads (hypophyseal approach). Abbreviation: FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone.
	Figure 3 Short-term storage of gametes collected from Günther's toadlets (Pseudophryne guentheri). Shown is a comparison of rates of viability loss; (a) oocyte viability declines over a period of hours and (b) sperm viability over a period of days. Data from Reference 24; photograph courtesy of A.J. Silla.
	Figure 4 Effect of fertilization medium osmolality on percentage fertilization in two myobatrachid frogs. Shown are data from (a) an aquatic breeding anuran, the quacking frog (Crinia georgiana) (A.J. Silla, unpublished data), compared with (b) a terrestrial breeding anuran, Günther's toadlet (Pseudophryne guentheri) (data from 24). Photographs courtesy of A.J. Silla.