Description of New American Carduelis/Spinus Bird Species in La Paz (Bolivia): C./S. lapazensis.

We studied 257 herds of 257 farms, totaling 79,051 observations in eight States of the Federation, which genetic and phenotypic parameters were estimated for the weights to 205 (P205), 365 (P365) and 550 days old (P550) of Nelore, included in the system of development Control by weight (CDP) conducted by the Brazilian Association of Zebu breeders (ABCZ) and raised in the northern region and sub-region Means North. Estimates of variance components and genetic parameters were obtained by the MTDFREML application, which uses the methodology of the Restricted Maximum Likelihood Derivative Free with an animal model that considers as fixed the effects of the farm such as year, month of birth, and gender. The heredity for P205 was 0.13 ± 0.02 and for P365 was 0.18 ± 0.05, which may indicate little additional genetic variation for these characteristics. For P550 days the estimated heredity was 0.23 ± 0.07, considered average, what indicates that at this age it is possible to select for weight gain. The genetic, phenotypical and environmental likeness among the weights in different ages were: P205-P365 = 0.92, 0.72 and 0.79; P205-P550 = 0.89, 0.61 and 0.87 and P365-550 = 0.98, 0.80 and 0.87. The genetic tendency in P365, for direct effect was significant and positive equals 0.455 kg (P < 0.001). Genetic trends in P205, P365 and P550 for direct effect were significant and positive, equal to 0.272 kg (P < 0.001), 0.455 kg (P < 0.001) and 0.744 kg (P < 0.001), respectively.

The phenotypic and genetic relationships among five Pinus sylvestris populations in the western part of the Carpathian Mountains were analyzed based on seven morphological needle traits and 67 loci using 10 RAPD primers. Three of the studied populations were on the western side (Macelowa Gora, Czubatka, Łazowa Skalka) and two were located in the central part (Sokolica, Zamkowa Gora) of the Pieniny National Park. The examined populations had short needles, which is characteristic for mountain habitats of the Scots pine. The populations from the Pieniny Mts. had fewer rows of stomata on both sides of the needles than others studied stands of Eurosiberian Scots pine. The number of stomata on both flat and convex sides of the needles was similar to the values observed for populations growing on the nearby Tatra Mountains. Moreover, when these two traits are considered, the populations from Sokolica and Łazowa Skalka share the highest degree of similarity.. Nei’s genetic distances and genetic identities between the populations were calculated on the basis of RAPD loci. The results show that the lowest Nei’s distance exists between the populations from the western part of the Pieniny Mts. – Macelowa Gora and Czubatka, and its central part – Sokolica and Zamkowa Gora, with the highest values recorded between the populations of Zamkowa Gora and Czubatka, and Łazowa Skalka and Czubatka. A similar pattern of phenotypic and genetic relations that was observed between the populations in both regions of the Pieniny Mountains could be the result of planting-seed material sourced from the central Pieniny Mts. in the area of western Pieniny Mts. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS170525045U Received: May 25, 2017; Revised: October 23, 2017; Accepted: October 23, 2017; Published online: November 27, 2017 How to cite this article: Urbaniak L, Lesiczka P, Gąsiorowska E, Pawlaczyk EM, Androsiuk P, Lewandowska-Wosik A, Voncina G. Genetic and phenotypic relationships among Pinus sylvestris populations in the Pieniny National Park. Arch Biol Sci. 2018;70(2):289-97.

Genetic and Phenotypic Relationships among Type Traits Scored Linearly in Holsteins

Abstract. Weight (kg)-age (days) data of 524 Horro sheep of Ethiopia were fitted to a Brody function to estimate parameters of growth curve and their genetic and phenotypic parameters. Genetic and phenotypic relationships were also estimated between growth curve parameters and weight at birth (BW), weaning (WW) six-month (WT6) and yearling (YW). For ewes Pearson correlations were also calculated between growth curve parameters and ewe productivity over first to fourth parities. Least squares means of growth curve parameters A (asymptotic mature weight, kg), B (proportion of mature weight attained after birth) and K (the rate of maturity, kg gain kg-1 body weight) were 37.6, 0.88, and 0.27∙10-2, respectively. Heritability estimates were 0.29, 0.18 and 0.14 for A, B, and K, respectively. Genetic correlations between A and B, A and K, and B and K were 0.39, −0.07, and 0.25 respectively. Genetic correlations of A and K with BW, WW, WT6, and YW were 0.27 and −0.13, 0.34 and 0.37, 0.44 and 0.61, and 0.67 and 0.66, respectively. The growth curve parameters have small but positive (r=0.05 to 0.28) relationship with indicators of lifetime productivity. Medium heritability estimates of A and K indicate that progress in improving these traits can be made through selection. WT6 and YW have medium genetic correlations with the growth curve parameters and these may allow the use of these weights as indirect early selection criteria for optimum growth curve.

Genetic and Phenotypic Relationship between Reproduction and Milk Production

Improving reproductive efficiency is one of the main breeding goals in mink farming. Understanding the genetics of reproductive performance is essential for the development of effective breeding programs in mink. The objectives of this study are to 1) estimate the phenotypic and genetic parameters for litter sizes (LS), mortality rate at birth. (MB) and gestation-length (GL) traits; 2) perform genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for these reproductive traits; 3) implement GWAS results in the selection of mink for reproductive performance; 4) explore the potential for genomic selection in mink. The detailed reproductive performance on 3,500 female mink has been collected at the Canadian Center for Fur Animal Research at Dalhousie University (Truro, NS, Canada), in which, 1,000 of them will be genotyped with Affymetrix 50k SNP panel. A series of univariate and bivariate analyses were implemented in ASREML software to estimate the genetic and phenotypic parameters. Heritability estimates (±SE) were low-to-moderate, ranged from 0.06±0.02 for total number born to 0.23±0.03 for GL. High positive genetic correlations (±SE) were observed between LS traits, ranged from 0.59±0.18 to 0.85±0.11. There was a moderate genetic correlation (±SE) between MB and total number of kits born (0.46±0.15). However, MB had a favorable strong negative genetic correlation (±SE) with the number of weaned kits (–0.75±0.16). These estimated genetic parameters can be incorporated into Canadian mink breeding programs. Considering the low-to-moderate heritability of reproduction traits, the availability of the mink reference genome and genotyping panel will provide opportunities to accelerate mink breeding through genomics. The results of this project will contribute significantly to the current genetic knowledge of reproductive traits and identify the opportunities for genetic improvement through the application of genomics. The overall project aim is to develop a cost-effective, low-density panel of markers for the implementation of genomic selection for reproductive performance in mink.

Inheritance and Relationships of Linear Type Traits for Age Groups of Holsteins

The general aim of the thesis was a chronological genetic investigation of archaeological horse remains from Switzerland including mitochondrial d-loop variation, coat colour and sex identification. Three main subjects were in the focus. Firstly, mtDNA preservation of archaeologic horse remains in the context of different burial conditions. A systematic synthesis of the influence of different burial conditions on DNA amplification success concerning teeth and bones from open dry and wetland sites and caves from the Pleistocene until Roman times has been made. It led to the conclusion that Pleistocene material from cave and abri (rockshelter) sites is generally genetically well preserved and it was even possible to obtain genetic information from Neolithic waterlogged bones. The depositional environment is the most influential factor affecting DNA preservation. The age of the specimens also plays a crucial role, although it transpired that samples from very favourable conditions, like deep caves, can be better preserved than younger material. Under similar conditions, older samples are less well preserved and accumulated more post mortem damage derived lesion. Within this project, for the first time all Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites with more than one remain of a certain species, the horse, and a preliminary selection of Iron Age and Roman time samples have been screened for DNA preservation in Switzerland. The outcome of this test is very promising and applicable to other species and further investigations of demographic developments and phenotypic characteristics. The continuous augmentation of data from different depositional contexts and periods is warranted. Secondly, mtDNA d-loop variation of Pleistocene and Early Holocene wild horse populations was investigated and put in context with palaeoclimatological, palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data. For Switzerland, a discontinuous population history within the last 50 k years was described. The demographic development, an expansion after the LGM, was in disagreement to the development in other parts of Eurasia, particularly north eastern Asia, where abundance peaked during the LGM and decreased from then on. The yet low sample sizes from the transition time Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene allows only tentative speculating on the local dispersal/replacement/extinction pattern of wild horses. Beside the methodological challenges due to the discontinuous and unbalanced representation of equid sequences this analysis provided the first comprehensive investigation of wild horse remains from one restricted region. This approach has offered the opportunity to focus on aspects of horse population development that might be overlooked in the global picture by demonstrating sensitive reaction patterns to changing environmental conditions. To draw a picture of Eurasian horse demographic development, it is necessary to follow a comprehensive geographically and chronologically dense sampling approach, comparable to the Swiss example. Thirdly, we examined mtDNA d-loop variation and coat colour of Iron Age domestic horses. A possible genetic differentiation of morphologically different animals was enquired via matrilinear diversity, and the investigation of coat colouration served to detect phenotypical noticeable individuals and to relate their incidence to the archaeological context. Female lineages were highly diverse, yet coat colourations were limited to the basic colours bay, black and chestnut. The few larger horses in our dataset were not genetically distinct from the smaller majority. Breeding interests were apparently focussed on good performance and low maintenance horses, and to avoid inbreeding. This emphasises the skill and expertise Celtic stock keepers executed on this highly valuable and prestigious animal. The lineage diversity present in Iron Age Switzerland does not differ from (roughly) contemporaneous variation in the rest of Europe except for Iberia and is particularly similar to eastern Europe. This finding supports the hypothesis, based on archaeological evidence of e.g. eastern European type bridle fragments, of an eastern origin of Swiss domestic horses. A contribution of local wild mares to the domestic gene pool can be ranked low, not least because they were most probably on the edge of extinction by the 3rd millennium BC. The contextualisation of Swiss wild and ancient domestic horses with the Eurasian variation revealed that, at our current state of knowledge, domestics had higher nucleotide diversity than wild horses. This observation contradicts the general ideas of domestication (bottleneck) and of the velocity of mutation rates (within 5 ka since domestication started). Predictably this ratio will be adjusted as more pre-domestic specimens from Eurasia will be sequenced. Recent technical progress and leaps in the understanding of wild horse genetics (Orlando et al., 2013, Schubert et al., 2014, Imsland et al., 2016) as well as regional approaches to chronological genetic investigations as presented here, are heralding fascinating new insights into the evolution and history of a species as much appreciated as the horse.

Phenotypic and genetic relationships between wither height, heart girth and milk yield in the Swiss Braunvieh and Simmental breeds

Genetic evaluation of in-line recorded milkability from milking parlors and automatic milking systems

To assist in upland rice breeding programs, estimated genetic and phenotypic parameters are extremely important in the selection of superior lines. Thus, the objective of this study was estimate the genetic and phenotypic parameters of upland rice lines of the breeding program of UFLA in partnership with Embrapa Arroz e Feijao and Epamig. The experiment was installed in an experimental area of the Department of Agriculture at UFLA. It was evaluated 36 upland rice lines of the preliminary trial of the 2014/15 season, in randomized blocks, with three replications and plots consisted of five rows and each row has four meters. For this, it was evaluated the characters: plant height (cm), yield (kg·ha-1), 100-grain weight, days until flowering, percentage of filled grains and rice blast severity. The variance analysis and genetic parameters were estimated using the software SAS. To evaluate the experimental precision was estimated the accuracy, which varied between 63% and 98%, showing experimental precision, moderate to high. The lines differed significantly for all characters, meaning there is genetic variability among genotypes evaluated. With intensity of selection of 10% of lines, it was obtained a genetic gain of 325.29 kg·ha-1 in the character productivity, a plant height (cm) reduction in 5.50 cm, and days until flowering, with a reduction of 9.23 days, with selection of earlier plants. The estimated values for heritability ranged from 38% - 96%. Estimates confirm the possible success with the selection of the upland rice lines for these characters.

Simple SummaryMurciano-Granadina has drifted towards better dairy-linked conformation traits without losing the grounds of the zoometric basis which confers it with an enhanced adaptability to the environment. Consequently, international Linear Appraisal Systems (LAS) may not fit the zoometric variability reality of autochthonous breeds, such as the Murciano-Granadina goat. LAS panels comprise large numbers of traits which makes selection for dairy conformation a complex and time costly task, hence selection practices focusing on major areas is often suggested. The evaluation of genetic, phenotypic and environmental parameters for each zoometric/LAS trait individually and of the pairwise relationships among traits may permit the design of a solid selection strategy towards the maximization of dairy potential while making selection tasks time- and resource-efficient. Results suggest that zoometrics and LAS-derived genetic and phenotypic parameters are translatable as long as the process of collection is performed objectively by trained operators. Selection of major areas is feasible but may be conditioned to the restructuration and modification of the scales that are currently used for dairy goats. The strategies that were designed help to evaluate the momentum of selection for dairy-linked zoometric traits of the Murciano-Granadina population and its future evolution to enhance the profitability and efficiency of breeding plans.Selection for zoometrics defines individuals’ productive longevity, endurance, enhanced productive abilities and consequently, their long-term profitability. When zoometric analysis is aimed at large highly selected populations or in those at different levels of selection, linear appraisal systems (LAS) provide a timely response. This study estimates genetic and phenotypic parameters for zoometric/LAS traits in Murciano-Granadina goats, estimating genetic and phenotypic correlations among all traits, and determining whether major area selection would be appropriate or if adaptability strategies may need to be followed. Heritability estimates for the zoometric/LAS traits were low to high, ranging from 0.09 to 0.43, and the accuracy of estimation has improved after decades, rendering standard errors negligible. Scale inversion of specific traits may need to be performed before major areas selection strategies are implemented. Genetic and phenotypic correlations suggests that negative selection against thicker bones and higher rear insertion heights indirectly results in the optimization of selection practices in the rest of the traits, especially those in the structure, capacity and mammary system major areas. The integration and implementation of the strategies proposed within the Murciano-Granadina breeding program maximizes selection opportunities and the sustainable international competitiveness of the Murciano-Granadina goat in the dairy goat breed panorama.

Discovery of the Fuyan teeth: challenging or complementing the out-of-Africa scenario?

1. Phenotypic and genetic parameters were estimated tri‐variately for income minus food cost between 21 and 40 weeks (IFC), food conversion ratio between 41 and 60 weeks (FCR) and feather score at 60 weeks (FSC) from data of 6 generations of a selection experiment aimed at improving IFC genetically in brown egg layers. 2. Heritabilities of 0.39, 0.19 and 0.20 were found for IFC, FCR and FSC, respectively. 3. Genetic correlations of −0.61, 0.15 and 0.06 were found between IFC and FCR, IFC and FSC, FCR and FSC, respectively. 4. A positive, that is unfavourable, correlated selection response for FSC was observed in both selection lines.

Insect cuticle melanism is linked to a number of life-history traits, and a positive relationship is hypothesized between melanism and the strength of immune defense. In this study, the phenotypic and genetic relationships between cuticular melanization, innate immune defense, individual development time and body size were studied in the mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) using three different temperatures with a half-sib breeding design. Both innate immune defense and cuticle darkness were higher in females than males, and a positive correlation between the traits was found at the lowest temperature. The effect of temperature on all the measured traits was strong, with encapsulation ability and development time decreasing and cuticle darkness increasing with a rise in temperature, and body size showing a curved response. The analysis showed a highly integrated system sensitive to environmental change involving physiological, morphological and life-history traits.