Multifaceted Interplay among Social Dominance, Body Condition, Appetitive and Consummatory Sexual Behaviors, and Semen Quality in Dorper Rams during Out-Of-Season and Transition Periods

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The effect of social rank (i.e., low or high) in adult Dorper rams on sexual behavior, body condition score, seminal quality, and whole blood count was evaluated. The high-social-ranked Dorper rams displayed more sexual behaviors compared with low-social-ranked rams. In parallel, high-social-ranked rams had a higher body condition score and a larger ejaculate volume compared with low-social-ranked rams; they also showed an optimal health and wellness status, reflected by the whole blood count. Such behavioral, metabolic, sexual, seminal, and health advantages shown by the high-social-ranked Dorper rams must be taken into account to avoid reproductive failures. While there is still limited evidence on the role that social rank plays in out-of-season reproductive success, this study helps to better comprehend how social dominance is associated with male-to-male competitiveness, male-to-female sexual behavior, seminal quality, and blood cell components, and how their interaction with each other modulates and even determines out-of-season reproductive success in Dorper rams. ABSTRACT: Dorper rams (n = 24) were evaluated during the sexual resting season to determine their social rank (SR), either high (HSR) or low (LSR), under intensive management conditions in northern Mexico (25° N). Aggressive behaviors were quantified during male-to-male interactions, and appetitive and consummatory sexual behaviors during male-to-female interactions. Morphometric, live weight (LW), and body condition score (BCS) were recorded. During the early reproductive season, male-to-female behaviors were newly itemized simultaneously by seminal quality and quantity sampling. Finally, the dependent variables of the hemogram components were also quantified. Neither LW (61.25 ± 2.4 kg) nor morphometric variables differed between SR groups. However, BCS (2.25 vs. 2.66 u), sexual behaviors (i.e., approaches: 59.6 vs. 21.73 n, mating with ejaculation: 77.7 vs. 42.86 %, latency to ejaculation: 16.6 vs. 143.07 s), ejaculate volume (0.57 vs. 0.23 mL), and hemogram components favored the HSR rams (p < 0.05). Moreover, in their first male-to-female interaction, >50% of the LSR rams failed to display any sexual activity. HSR rams displayed a greater number of threatening behaviors, managing to displace LSR rams when exposed to estrus ewes during the male sexual resting season; more sexual behaviors; and an increased seminal volume in a non-live weight-dependent fashion.