Efficacious, noninvasive, and permanent methods to sterilize livestock, fish, and wildlife are also needed. Therefore, the primary objective of this program is to increase our knowledge of reproductive biology in agriculturally important animals with the goal of controlling reproductive efficiency and improving overall reproductive management. Because alterations in animal behavior and animal well-being may impair fecundity, this program also encourages research on the mechanisms controlling animal responses to physical and biological stresses that impinge upon reproductive processes. Research should contribute to an understanding of the causes, consequences, and avoidance of stress, rather than merely describing the physiological effects of stress on reproductive efficiency. Model systems must be justified in terms of the program guidelines.
Multidisciplinary research is encouraged.