Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) Practice Exam 2025 – Complete All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The correct answer pertains to a breeding scheme known as harem mating. In this system, a single male is bred with multiple females. Once the females become pregnant, they are typically removed from the male's cage to ensure that they are not disturbed during gestation and that they can give birth without the male present. This approach not only facilitates genetic diversity but also allows for effective management of breeding and care for the pregnant females.

Harem mating is especially useful in laboratory settings where controlling breeding outcomes is important for the study of genetic traits or the observation of offspring development. The method emphasizes the efficiency of using one male to breed with several females simultaneously, enhancing the likelihood of producing multiple offspring while managing their reproductive cycles healthily and effectively.

In contrast, other breeding strategies, such as pair mating, involve one male and one female without removing them from each other's presence during the breeding cycle, which does not align with the details described. Outbreeding generally refers to the practice of breeding individuals from different genetic backgrounds, and cohort breeding usually involves breeding in groups rather than separating individuals based on their reproductive status. Each of these methods serves different purposes in animal management and research, which is why they differ from harem mating.