About this Research Topic

Background

Reproduction is essential for the continuation of all mammal species. It involves and depends on successful ovulation, fertilization, early embryonic development, pregnancy establishment, maintenance and parturition. Infertility, when animals fail to become pregnant or maintain pregnancy, is a complex issue that affects livestock and wildlife. It involves factors related to the animal, environment and management. Fertilization rates in most species are usually adequate and greater than 90%. However, pregnancy rates can be less optimum and fall below 50%, primarily due to pregnancy loss. In most species, pregnancy losses are divided into embryonic loss and fetal loss. Embryonic loss is further subdivided into early embryonic loss, the period between fertilization and implantation, and late embryonic loss, from implantation to the period when pregnancy can be first diagnosed. Early embryonic loss accounts for the majority of pregnancy failures, followed by late embryonic loss and fetal loss.

The goal of this collection is to explore and summarize the different biological and environmental factors that impact and control embryonic development, successful pregnancy establishment and loss in livestock and wildlife mammal species. Furthermore, articles will explore the economic, environmental and ecological costs of infertility, in addition to implementation of strategies and adoption of technologies to overcome infertility.

This collection will include reviews and original research articles that explore the proposed topics:
• sperm contribution to fertilization success or failure
• paternal contribution to pregnancy loss
• affect of oocyte quality on embryo competence
• key features of pre- and peri-implantation embryo development
• improving the post-transfer survival of in vitro produced embryos
• uterine conditions that favor or impair pregnancy establishment
• placental function and efficiency
• genetic abnormalities of the zygote/embryo
• environmental factors that lead to infertility

Keywords: pregnancy, abortion, early embryonic loss, fertilization, placenta

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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