Abstract
Reproductive failures are reported to be commonplace among mammals in nature. Agents responsible for these failures can be divided conveniently into two classes depending on their relation to population density. Thus, in Great Britain workers (Brambell, 1942, 1944; Brambell and Mills, 1944, 1947a, b; and Allen et al., 1947) studying reproduction in wild rabbits found that approximately 60 per cent of all “litters” in a series collected were completely lost in utero. These workers, in general, favored a genetical explanation. Conaway and coworkers (1960) suggested that a high incidence of “total litter resorption” in swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) which followed sudden flooding of the habitat and resultant overcrowding was induced by an “adrenal stress syndrome.” The same process of intrauterine resorption of embryos and fetuses has been found in varying degree among other species of wild mammals (Perry, 1945; Snyder and Christian, 1960; Snyder, 1962; Newson, 1966).
Supported in part by Grant HD-00543 from the USPHS, and a grant from the Smith Kline and French Foundation.
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Snyder, R.L. (1967). Fertility and Reproductive Performance of Grouped Male Mice. In: Benirschke, K. (eds) Comparative Aspects of Reproductive Failure. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-48949-5_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-48949-5_26
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