Abstract
Cattle are arguably the most important livestock species. Since the beginning of this century, the loss of genetic diversity within this species has been a major concern as this could have serious consequences on the ability of this species to respond to future production constraints. Genetic diversity has traditionally been accessed from pedigree, however, with the advances in molecular genetics new opportunities have emerged. We examined different methods for accessing genetic diversity and estimating genetic diversity parameters at the genomic level. We also examined criteria and strategies for the conservation of animal genetic resources. Finally, we examined genomic studies on some endangered cattle breeds.
Highlights
The biggest threat to biodiversity across the planet is habitat degradation, resulting from direct or indirect human activities [1] [2]
HardyWeinberg equilibrium (HWE) is the relationship between the allelic and genotypic frequency that holds for most genetic markers
With the breed having a very small population at the brink of extinction and the potential of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) identified contributing to variation in economically important traits, the information provided by [151] could be beneficial in crafting a genomic breeding program that will facilitate conservation of the cattle breed
Summary
The biggest threat to biodiversity across the planet is habitat degradation, resulting from direct or indirect human activities [1] [2]. Random genetic drift due to geographical separation, population size bottleneck, and genetic reshuffling (recombination); adaptation to a diverse selection pressure imposed by climate, nutritional factors, disease, and parasites are natural agents that discern the species and breeds of livestock [8]. A large number of wild species and domesticated breeds of animals require human intervention to maintain their survival and to study the diversity within the genome which is an important aspect of conservative genetics [12] [13] [14] [15]. Artificial selection criteria imposed by man (back-crossing of domesticated animals with their wild ancestral species) are factors that have made livestock breeds evolve and have created numerous cattle breeds that display broad phenotypic and genetic variation [20] [21]. To discuss the criteria and strategies for the conservation of the animal genetic resources and examine genomic studies on some endangered cattle breeds using here strategies
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