In Vitro Production of Bison Embryos

Bison are an iconic species of cultural, conservation, and commercial interest. Various assisted reproductive technologies have been tested in bison over the last few decades (e.g., superovulation and embryo transfer), but their efficiencies are low. Since 2007, several methods for producing bison embryos in vitro have been published. All of these methods are based on cattle embryo production models and have varying degrees of success with regard to embryo production rates. In this chapter, a brief summary of these reports is presented followed by a detailed protocol that has been successfully used to produce bison embryos in vitro and live offspring following embryo transfer.