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- Genetic structure, relationships and admixture with wild relatives in native pig breeds from Iberia and its islandsPublication . Gama, Luis; Martinez, Amparo; Carolino, Inês; Landi, Vincenzo; Delgado, Juan; Vicente, António; Sousa, ConceiçãoBackground: Native pig breeds in the Iberian Peninsula are broadly classified as belonging to either the Celtic or the Mediterranean breed groups, but there are other local populations that do not fit into any of these groups. Most of the native pig breeds in Iberia are in danger of extinction, and the assessment of their genetic diversity and population structure, relationships and possible admixture between breeds, and the appraisal of conservation alternatives are crucial to adopt appropriate management strategies. Methods: A panel of 24 microsatellite markers was used to genotype 844 animals representing the 17 most important native swine breeds and wild populations existing in Portugal and Spain and various statistical tools were applied to analyze the results. Results: Genetic diversity was high in the breeds studied, with an overall mean of 13.6 alleles per locus and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.80. Signs of genetic bottlenecks were observed in breeds with a small census size, and population substructure was present in some of the breeds with larger census sizes. Variability among breeds accounted for about 20% of the total genetic diversity, and was explained mostly by differences among the Celtic, Mediterranean and Basque breed groups, rather than by differences between domestic and wild pigs. Breeds clustered closely according to group, and proximity was detected between wild pigs and the Mediterranean cluster of breeds. Most breeds had their own structure and identity, with very little evidence of admixture, except for the Retinto and Entrepelado varieties of the Mediterranean group, which are very similar. Genetic influence of the identified breed clusters extends beyond the specific geographical areas across borders throughout the Iberian Peninsula, with a very sharp transition from one breed group to another. Analysis of conservation priorities confirms that the ranking of a breed for conservation depends on the emphasis placed on its contribution to the betweenand within-breed components of genetic diversity. Conclusions: Native pig breeds in Iberia reveal high levels of genetic diversity, a solid breed structure and a clear organization in well-defined clusters.
- Genetic diversity in the Lusitano horse breed assessed by pedigree analysisPublication . Vicente, António; Carolino, Nuno; Gama, LuisGenetic diversity and population structure were analyzed in the Lusitano horse breed based on pedigree information of animals registered in the Studbook, to identify factors which may have affected the genetic variability of the breed, and provide the bases for the establishment of sustainable utilization programs. Pedigree records collected from 1824 to 2009, including information on 53,411 animals, were used in the analyses. The mean generation interval was 11.33±5.23 and 9.71±4.48 years for sires and dams, respectively, while the mean number of offspring registered was 13.13±22.53 for stallions and 4.00±3.38 for mares. All great-grandparents were known for the animals in the reference population (registered foals born from 2005 to 2009, n=9712), which had a mean number of equivalent generations known of 11.20±0.71 and an average inbreeding of 11.34±7.48%. For this population, the rate of inbreeding per year was 0.173±0.070, and the effective population size computed from this rate was about 28. The mean relationship among animals from the same and from different studs was 0.31±0.16 and 0.15±0.10, respectively. In spite of the high within-stud relationship, inbreeding has been kept lower than expected due to restrictions imposed by breeders on selection and allocation of mates. The effective number of founders, ancestors and studs contributing to the current genetic pool was 27.5, 11.7 and 5.4, respectively. Over the last 30 years, contributions to the genetic pool of Lusitano have been decreasing, with a reduction to about one-half in the effective number of founders and ancestors. Of the 267 founder sires, only 9 Y-chromosome sources are currently represented, with an effective number of 2.23. The diversity of mt-DNA sources is broader, with 129 lineages represented and an effective number of 42.8. The results of our study reflect the intensive emphasis that has been placed on a few sire-families over the years, and raise concerns regarding the conservation of genetic diversity for the future. Methods designed to minimize inbreeding and maximize the maintenance of genetic contributions from different founders and ancestors should be envisaged, to prevent further losses of genetic variability in the Lusitano horse breed.
- Caractérisation démographique du cheval lusitanienPublication . Vicente, António; Carolino, Nuno; Gama, Luis
- Análise da estrutura genética de populações ovinas churras portuguesasPublication . Santos-Silva, F.; Ivo, R.; Sousa, M. C.; Vicente, António; Carolino, M. I.; Carolino, Nuno; Gama, LuisA diversidade e estrutura genética foram estudadas em seis raças portuguesas do grupo Churro (Badana, Galega Bragançana, Galega Mirandesa, Mondegueira, Churra da Terra Quente e Algarvia), e na raça exótica Assaf, com um conjunto de 20 microssatélites. Os dados foram analisados com a metodologia bayesiana implementada pelo software STRUCTURE. A variabilidade genética observada sugere a existência de quatro populações ancestrais na sua origem. As raças Assaf e Algarvia estão bem identificadas com populações ancestrais distintas, o que resultará do seu distanciamento geográfico relativamente às restantes raças. As outras raças Churras, cuja área de exploração é o Norte de Portugal, mostram um grau de diferenciação reduzido, e resultam de duas populações ancestrais que contribuem em maior ou menor proporção para cada raça, o que indica que provavelmente terá existido fluxo de genes entre estas raças.
- Aplicações da rastreabilidade genética na fileira de produção suínaPublication . Carolino, M. I.; Vicente, António; Gama, Luis
- Parâmetros genéticos e efeitos ambientais de caracteres reprodutivos em suínos Malhado AlcobaçaPublication . Vicente, António; Carolino, Nuno; Pereira, Lisbete; Gama, LuisNo âmbito de um estudo sobre a população suína Malhado de Alcobaça, foram estimados os parâmetros genéticos e os efeitos ambientais para a prolificidade e número de leitões desmamados.Recolheram-se registos produtivos e genealógicos ao longo de 18 anos na única exploração (Selecpor, SA), com reprodutores desta raça, cujo efectivo adulto ronda as 170 fêmeas e 11 machos, obtendo-se 2658 registos de partos e 2569 registos de desmame de cerca de 530 fêmeas, a que correspondia uma matriz de parentesco com 819 indivíduos. As estimativas de parâmetros genéticos e efeitos fixos para a prolificidade (PROL) e número de leitões desmamados (NDL) foram obtidas por máxima verosimilhança restrita, através do BLUP – Modelo Animal, numa análise bivariada, com modelo de registos repetidos que incluía como efeitos aleatórios o valor genético e o efeito ambiental permanente da porca e como efeitos fixos o ano e mês de parto, o efeito linear da consanguinidade individual e os efeitos linear e quadrático da idade ao parto, utilizando-se o programa MTDFREML. Registou-se uma prolificidade média de 9,6 leitões nascidos totais por parto e 8,3 leitões desmamados por ninhada. Verificou-se uma depressão consanguínea de -0,0289 leitões na PROL e de -0,0200 leitões no NDL por cada aumento de 1% no coeficiente de consanguinidade dos reprodutores e que a idade ao parto apresenta um efeito quadrático em ambos caracteres, com valores próximos dos 3 anos. A heritabilidade estimada foi de 0, 05±0,026 para a PROL e 0,10±0,035 para o NDL, enquanto que o efeito ambiental permanente para os mesmos caracteres foi de, respectivamente, 0,08±0,025 e 0,04±0,027.
- On the origins of American Criollo pigs: A common genetic background with a lasting Iberian signaturePublication . Revidatti, M. A.; Gama, L.L.T.; Martin Burriel, I.; Cortés Gardyn, O.; Cappello Villada, J. S.; Carolino, Inês; Javier Cañón, F.; Ginja, C.; Sponenberg, P.; Vicente, António; Zaragoza, P.; Vicente Delgado, J.; Martinez, A.American Criollo pigs are thought to descend mainly from those imported from the Iberian Peninsula starting in the late 15th century. Criollo pigs subsequently expanded throughout the Americas, adapting to very diverse environments, and possibly receiving influences from other origins. With the intensification of agriculture in the mid-20th century, cosmopolitan breeds largely replaced Criollo pigs, and the few remaining are mostly maintained by rural communities in marginal areas where they still play an important socio-economic and cultural role. In this study, we used 24 microsatellite markers in samples from 1715 pigs representing 46 breeds with worldwide distribution, including 17 American Criollo breeds, with the major focus of investigating their genetic diversity, structure and breed relationships. We also included representatives of the Iberian, Local British, Hungarian, Chinese and Commercial breeds, as well as Wild Boar, in order to investigate their possible influence in the genetic composition of Criollos. Our results show that, when compared with the other breeds, Criollo pigs present higher levels of genetic diversity, both in terms of allelic diversity and expected heterozygosity. The various analyses indicate that breed differentiation overall explains nearly 21% of the total genetic diversity. Criollo breeds showed their own identity and shared a common genetic background, tending to cluster together in various analyses, even though they differ from each other. A close relationship of Criollos with Iberian breeds was revealed by all the different analyses, and the contribution of Iberian breeds, particularly of the Celtic breeds, is still present in various Criollo breeds. No influence of Chinese breeds was detected on Criollos, but a few were influenced by Commercial breeds or by wild pigs. Our results confirm the uniqueness of American Criollo pigs and the role that Iberian breeds have played in their development.
- Selection for morphology, gaits and functional traits in Lusitano horses: II. Fixed effects, genetic trends and selection in retrospectPublication . Vicente, António; Carolino, Nuno; Ralão-Duarte, J.; Gama, LuisMixed model procedures were used to analyze morphology and gaits records collected in about 18,000 Lusitano horses from 900 studs, over a period of 43 years, and functional records collected since 1998, to carry-out a critical assessment of the fixed effects and selection practices followed in this breed. Fixed effects considered in the analysis of morphology (head/neck, shoulder/withers, chest/thorax, back/loin, croup, legs and overall impression), gaits and final score (computed by summing partial morphological and gaits scores) were stud, year, sex, inbreeding and age. Functional traits analyzed were the scores obtained in working equitation dressage (WEDT) and maneability (WEMT) trials and in classical dressage (CD), where fixed effects were event, level of competition, sex, inbreeding and age. Phenotypic trends were moderate over the period analyzed, with a slight increase in height at withers, and a decline in final score. Nevertheless, differences among years were mostly environmental. Males received lower scores for almost all morphological and gaits traits except croup, with a difference of about −1.7 points for final score relative to females. Sex differences were small for functional traits, with general advantage of males in WEMT and CD, and a disadvantage in WEDT. Considerable differences were detected among studs, especially in their environmental effects but also in mean estimated breeding value (EBV), for morphology, gaits and functionality. The environmental effect of competition level in CD resulted in a progressively lower scoring as the competition became more difficult, while for WEMT the pattern was opposite and differences were minor for WEDT. Inbreeding depression was observed for all morphological and gait traits, but the magnitude of its impact was very small for all traits analyzed, never exceeding −0.1% of the mean per 1% inbreeding. Still, for functional traits the effect of inbreeding was negligible. The EBV for morphology, gaits, WEMT and WEDT show considerable variability, indicating that selection can be effective. For CD, however, the distribution of EBV was narrower. The genetic trend was positive but moderate for all traits, and it was slightly higher for head and neck, overall impression, gaits and final score. As a percentage of the mean, these traits and working equitation trials showed the highest responses, which in the best cases did not exceed 0.2% of the mean per year. Genetic selection differentials and the corresponding selection intensities were very modest for all traits analyzed, with a slightly higher intensity in sires when compared to dams.
- Avaliação genética para a morfologia no cavalo LusitanoPublication . Vicente, António; Carolino, Nuno; Gama, Luis
- Selection for morphology, gaits and functional traits in Lusitano horses: I. Genetic parameter estimates.Publication . Vicente, António; Carolino, Nuno; Ralão-Duarte, J.; Gama, LuisGenetic parameters were estimated for morphology, gaits and functional traits in Lusitano horses by uni- and multivariate animal models. Morphological traits considered in the analyses were partial scores attributed to up to 18,076 horses at the time of registration in the studbook and included head and neck, shoulder and withers, chest and thorax, back and loin, croup, legs and overall impression, plus a final score computed by summing the partial morphological scores and the gaits score. The functional traits considered were the scores obtained in the dressage and maneability trials of working equitation (WE, about 1500 records by 200 horses), and classical dressage (12,131 records by 759 horses). The heritability (h2) estimates for all partial morphological scores ranged between 0.12 and 0.18, except for legs (0.07). The h2 for final score, height at withers and gaits was 0.18, 0.61 and 0.17, respectively, while for WE dressage trial and classical dressage it was 0.32 and for WE maneability trial it was 0.18. The genetic correlations (rG) of final score with the different partial scores were generally high (0.56–0.95), while among partial components of morphology they were positive but widely different (0.08–0.77). With the exception of legs, rG between morphology/gaits and functional traits were positive, with a stronger relationship between morphological traits and performance in WE dressage trial (rG between 0.36 and 0.56) when compared with performance in maneability trial or classical dressage. Height at withers had a rG of 0.40 with performance in classical dressage, but lower rG(0.06 and −0.10) with WE trials. Final score and overall impression had moderate to strong genetic relationships with functional traits, especially with WE dressage trial, while gaits had a strong rG with performance in all the disciplines (0.60–0.72). Indirect selection for morphology/gaits to improve functionality was assessed, by selecting for final score or a combined index of partial scores. Compared to direct selection for functionality, selection for final score or an index combining partial morphological scores would be less effective, resulting in accuracies of, respectively, 0.28 and 0.37 for WE dressage trial, 0.14 and 0.38 for WE maneability trial and 0.22 and 0.39 for classical dressage. Thus, an index combining all partial morphological scores would be better than selection for overall final score, but its relative efficiency compared to direct selection would be about 0.7 in WE dressage trial and classical dressage, and 0.9 in WE maneability trial. Lusitano horses maintain considerable levels of genetic variability, and selection for both morphology and functionality should be effective. The favorable genetic relationships existing between morphology and performance indicate that morphology/gaits traits can play an important role in a two-stage selection program, contributing to enhance selection response when the genetic improvement of working equitation or classical dressage is intended.