Breeding in the wild is the natural process of

animal reproduction Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

occurring in the natural habitat of a given species. This terminology is distinct from animal husbandry or breeding of species in captivity. Breeding locations are often chosen for very specific requirements of shelter and proximity to food; moreover, the breeding season is a particular time window that has evolved for each species to suit species anatomical,

mating In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. ''Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproduc ...

-ritual, or climatic and other ecological factors. Many species migrate considerable distances to reach the requisite breeding locations. Certain common characteristics apply to various

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

within the animal kingdom, which traits are often sorted among amphibians, reptiles, mammals,

avafauna Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...

, arthropods and lower life forms.

Amphibians

For many amphibians, an annual breeding cycle applies, typically regulated by ambient temperature, precipitation, availability of surface water and food supply. This breeding season is accentuated in temperate regions, where prolonged aestivation or hibernation renders many amphibian species inactive for prolonged periods. Breeding

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are typically ponds and streams.

Mammals

Annual breeding cycles sometimes apply to mammals, with regulating environmental effects including seasonal temperature variation and food availability. Migration patterns of a mammal may sometimes govern breeding times. Mammal breeding in the wild sometimes involves the use of

maternity den A maternity den, in the animal kingdom, is a lair where the mother gives birth and nurtures the young, when they are in a vulnerable life stage. While such dens are typically subterranean, they may also be snow caves or simply beneath rock ledges ...

s for birthing and protection of the young. The polar bear is an example of a mammal who uses a maternity den, whose locations are influenced by migration movements of this species to the seasonal Arctic

pack ice Drift ice, also called brash ice, is sea ice that is not attached to the shoreline or any other fixed object (shoals, grounded icebergs, etc.).Leppäranta, M. 2011. The Drift of Sea Ice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Unlike fast ice, which is "fasten ...

s. In particular, the polar bears who breed in

Wapusk National Park Wapusk National Park (; is Canada's 37th national park, established in 1996. The name comes from the Cree word for polar bear (''wâpask''). Located on the shores of Hudson Bay in the Hudson Plains ecozone south of Churchill, its accessibility ...

need to migrate to the Hudson Bay pack ice.

Effects of inbreeding in wild populations

Keller and WallerKeller LF, Waller DM. Inbreeding effects in wild populations. (2002) Trends in Ecology & Evolution. May 17(5):230-41. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(02)02489-8 reviewed the effects of inbreeding in wild-populations. Evidence from mammalian and bird populations indicated that

inbreeding depression Inbreeding depression is the reduced biological fitness which has the potential to result from inbreeding (the breeding of related individuals). Biological fitness refers to an organism's ability to survive and perpetuate its genetic material. ...

often significantly adversely affects birth weight, reproduction and survival, as well as resistance to

environmental stress Stress, either physiological, biological or psychological, is an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition. Stress is the body's method of reacting to a condition such as a threat, challenge or physical and psych ...

, disease and

predation Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

. Plant studies have shown significant adverse inbreeding effects on seed set, germination, resistance to stress and survival.

Inbreeding depression Inbreeding depression is the reduced biological fitness which has the potential to result from inbreeding (the breeding of related individuals). Biological fitness refers to an organism's ability to survive and perpetuate its genetic material. ...

is considered to be largely due to the expression of recessive deleterious alleles.

Line notes

References

* Michael F. Braby (2004) ''The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia'', Published by CSIRO Publishing, 339 pages * Miron L. Heinselman (1996) ''The Boundary Waters Wilderness ecosystem'', University of Minnesota Press, * C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Polar Bear: Ursus maritimus'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
* William J. Sutherland (1996) ''Ecological Census Techniques: A Handbook'', Cambridge University Press, 336 pages {{ISBN, 0-521-47815-4 Ethology * Animal breeding

Amphibians

Mammals

Effects of inbreeding in wild populations

See also

Line notes

References