Biology of the Wild Rabbit,Oryctolagus cuniculus, in Southern Sweden. IV. Leydig Cell Activity and Seasonal Development of Two Male Accessory Organs of Reproduction

Abstract

Seasonal variation in the Leydig cells and of the bulbourethral and prostate glands was studied in wild rabbits in southern Sweden, and the variation was correlated with an earlier description of the annual male fertility cycle. The full development of the testes and accessory reproductive organs in the spring was preceded by a peak in Leydig cell activity in January—February. After a depression around the summer solstice, the Leydig cell activity gradually increased, but spermatogenesis and the activity of the accessory reproductive organs continued to decline until late autumn.