Abstract

The quagga project aims to breed plains zebra that phenotypically resemble the extinct quagga (Equus quagga quagga), by selective breeding to aggregate desirable characteristics, particularly a reduced striping pattern. The purpose of this study was to produce a genetic selection index to improve stripe-pattern reduction, and hence to produce an efficient and objective selective breeding protocol, which will hopefully be of use in future selection experiments. From images of selectively bred zebras, striping ratios for three regions were calculated. Correlations of parent-offspring relationships resulted in narrow-sense heritabilities. Data from two regions (R1 and R3) were used to create an index to improve selection and reduce striping. The index I = 3.1875 (R1) 4.8134 (R3) and the response to selection using the index, R = 0.6047 i.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.