Pleasing to the eye

June 25, 2010

In a breeding experiment with Houbara bustards - a North African bird species with a very distinctive courtship behaviour, scientists have concluded that visual stimulation from attractive males of the same species positively affects brooding females, improving offspring growth. Females that observed highly displaying male birds in the experiment were more fertile and had a greater breeding success due to an increased allocation of testosterone into their eggs, leading to an increase in the growth rate in chicks. The results showed that using artificial insemination without appropriate stimulation of breeding females probably has negative impacts on their breeding performance and can therefore even affect the survival of a species, according to Adeline Loyau and Frederic Lacroix in the online edition of Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

For the experiment, Loyau of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the French CNRS station for experimental ecology and her colleague Lacroix (ECWP) confronted 90 brooding Houbara bustard females (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) with various individuals of the same species. In the Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP) in Moroccan Missour, 30 female birds were visually confronted with either highly displaying male birds, poorly displaying male birds, or females. During the experiment the female birds under investigation were artificially inseminated and kept isolated in aviaries five meters apart from birds of the same species in other aviaries. That way the scientists were able to exclude any other factors from playing a role in the experiment other than that of visual stimulation. "To my knowledge our study is the first example in species conservation of a successful manipulation of maternal allocation of resources through sensory stimulation ", explains behavioural biologist Adeline Loyau from the UFZ, "Our results show that it is possible to control maternal allocation of resources independent of the quality of male genes." Male display courtship constitutes an effective signal thereby providing conservationists with a simple and inexpensive means. The results could therefore be very significant for the improvement of captive breeding programs of other threatened bird species.

The Houbara bustard is a sandy-coloured resident of deserts, with its distribution ranging from North Africa to Mongolia. In the Arab world it is common prey for falcon hunting. Both hunting and a loss of habitat have diminished Houbara bustard populations and in the meantime the species is classified as vulnerable. It is bred in captive breeding programs to support the conservation of in-situ populations. It was for this purpose that the Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP) was founded in Moroccan Missour by the emir of Abu Dhabi, sheikh Zayid bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Already in 2007, Adeline Loyau and colleagues found that females of the Blue Peacock (Pavo cristatus) that had mated with attractive males increased the allocation of resources into their eggs compared to females that had mated with unattractive males. With attractive partners they laid larger eggs and increased the yolk testosterone levels, which has a direct influence on the growth rate of offspring. Generally, it is known that various factors can have an effect on female birds and their offspring such as the quality of male genes or food availability. Under unfavourable conditions it can be more effective to invest less in the current offspring but to put more effort into the following season. With their most recent experiment Loyau and Lacroix were finally able to show that visual stimulation can also influence chick growth. The data were analysed by Loyau in the laboratories of the UFZ in Leipzig during her time there as a visiting researcher. In the meantime the French biologist is working at the station for experimental ecology (SEEM) of the French Research Center CNRS in Moulis in the Pyrenees.

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

---

---

	Breeding the Princess by Maggie Chatterley In the kingdom of Perish, the queen has not produced a male heir. This means the royal couple must hand their eldest daughter, Princess Celeste over to the Royal Breeders. No longer a pampered princess, Celeste is now nothing more than royal breeding stock, to be bred with common men of the kingdom, in order to bring fresh blood into the royal line. Adult Content.
	Breeding Jenna by Maggie Chatterley A bittersweet and erotic tale. Ben Parker double-crosses his stepson, James, by leaving his ranch to Ben’s daughter, Jenna. Marrying Jenna will allow James to keep the ranch, yet she has no desire to marry. Stranded at the ranch in a blizzard, James is determined to get Jenna pregnant, even if it requires tying her up. Years before, Ben forced James’ mother to the alter, in a similar fashion.
	Breeding Mom and Daughter Kevin takes a job as a college professor in East Texas to escape his life. He looks for a place to live and finds a lonely divorcee with a room to rent and an 18 year old daughter. One thing leads to another and sparks fly between all of them. To complicate matters, the daughter has a horrible ex that needs to be dealt with, and Kevin is admirably suited to take care of that issue as well. This is a nearly 28,000 word novella. Well worth the price! All characters are 18+, and content is graphic. For adults only.
	A Hunter's Breeding Trap: An Impregnation and Bondage Story by Red Ice Press In her dreams, Nicole Fields can hear the men calling to her from the forest. Just in her early twenties, she knows that it's time to fulfill her social duty by going off to breed. In her world, mating doesn't happen through happy marriages and long courtships. Instead, beautiful women like her are paired with the alphas who live in the woods, rugged hunters who exist only to capture and impregnate traveling women. Leaving her village and embarking on the chase isn't for the weak. Yet, Nicole understands that the pleasurable and life changing rewards of completing her arduous journey are well worth it. She's prepared to do anything to meet her match, and let him bind and breed her young body any way he desires. Adults only, 18+. Approximately 7,000 words...
	Breeding My Best Friend's Daughter by Darque of Night Publishing Rob lives next door to Steve, his best friend of twelve years. Nearly inseparable, the two share many interests. Their friendship is threatened when Kennedy, Steve's 18-year-old daughter shows an interest in Rob. See the sparks fly between Kennedy and Rob, and see what happens the protective and hot-headed Steve gets thrown into the mix! This is a nearly 7,000 word short story. All characters are 18+. Contains adult material and is not for the faint of heart!
	Breeding the Female (Forced, Fucked, and Bred Trilogy Part 2) Taken from her family and brought deep into the forest by a werewolf, deflowered and used, she soon realizes the werewolf's true intentions for her, to serve the rest of his pack. As the crowd of wolves continues to grow around her, she wonders just how many will she have to service before their appetites are satisfied? Will she ever be able to escape or will she be their sex slave forever? This story contains scenes of explicit sex with multiple partners, oral, anal, gangbang, and double penetration with werewolves. Only for adult readers 18 or over! Read on for a small taste of what's inside: --- The two deep brown wolves appeared to be brothers, maybe even twins. Their skin was a deep tan, and they had dark eyes. They eyed Sophie hungrily, as they...