A review on reproductive biotechnologies for conservation of endangered mammalian species

Abstract

This review describes the use of modern reproductive biotechnologies or assisted reproductive techniques (ART) including artificial insemination, embryo transfer/sexing, in vitro fertilization, gamete/embryo micromanipulation, semen sexing, genome resource banking, and somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) in conservation programs for endangered mammalian species. Such biotechnologies allow more offspring to be obtained from selected parents to ensure genetic diversity and may reduce the interval between generations. However, the application of reproductive biotechnologies for endangered free-living mammals is rarer than for endangered domestic breeds. Progress in ART for non-domestic species will continue at a slow pace due to limited resources, but also because the management and conservation of endangered species is biologically quite complex. In practice, current reproductive biotechnologies are species-specific or inefficient for many endangered animals because of insufficient knowledge on basic reproduction like estrous cycle, seasonality, structural anatomy, gamete physiology and site for semen deposition or embryo transfer of non-domestic species.