Animal Reproduction Under Extreme Environments

Around the world, much of the extensive animal production, especially of small ruminants, takes place in agriculturally marginal territories. The impossibility of other agricultural uses lies in the fact that the environmental conditions are unfavorable for it, which include extreme temperatures, aridity or low rainfall, strong winds, high altitude, excess solar radiation and combinations of these. In this way, the reproductive process is hindered by the primery or secondary action of these environmental factors at different levels of the reproductive axis, as well as the uterine, placental and embryofetal levels. This compromise the reproductive and productive efficiency of the animals and therefore, the economic return of the populations basing their economy on the productivity of their herds. Consequently, research is required to identify the negative effects of environmental factors and develop strategies to improve the reproductive process at all levels, in animals raised in extreme environments.

The main goal of this collection is to compile the most recent advances in various effects of extreme environments on animal reproduction, and how these effects can be prevented or reduced. In this sense, we expect scientific contributions with novel research results in any livestock species bred, handled or permanently maintained under extreme environments, as well as acutely exposed to this kind of environment.

The main areas to be included in this Research Topic, but not exclusively limited to, are the effects of the extreme environments on: Reproductive physiology-endocrinilogy (female and male); reproductive efficiency (individual or at herd level); pregnancy and embryo-fetal development; fetal programming; efficiency of reproductive technologies; strategies to prevent or diminish reproductive undesirable outcomes.