Abstract
Blood samples were collected from Pantaneiro Horses in five regions of Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso States. Arabian, Mangalarga Marchador and Thoroughbred were also included to estimate genetic distances and the existing variability among and within these breeds by RAPD-PCR (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA - Polymerase Chain Reaction) molecular markers. From 146 primers, 13 were chosen for amplification and 44 polymorphic bands were generated. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that the greatest portion of detected variability was due to differences between individuals within populations (75.47%). Analysis of the genetic variability between pairs of populations presented higher estimates for the five Pantaneiro populations with the Arabian breed, while lowest estimates were presented by pairs formed among the Pantaneiro populations with the Mangalarga Marchador. Highest genic diversity was shown by the Pantaneiro (0.3396), which also showed highest genetic distance with the Arabian and lowest with Mangalarga Marchador breed. UPGMA dendrogram showed distinct differences between naturalized (Pantaneiro and Mangalarga Marchador) and exotic (Arabian and Thoroughbred) breeds. In the dendrogram generated by UPGMA method, the similarity matrix generated by the Jaccard coefficient showed distinction between the naturalised breeds, Pantaneiro and Mangalarga Marchador, and the exotic breeds, Árab and English Thoroughbred. Results suggest that the Pantaneiro presents a higher genetic variability than the other studied breeds and has a close relationship with the Mangalarga Marchador.
Highlights
The Pantaneiro horse is found in the Brazilian Pantanal and is well adapted to temporary local flooding conditions
This study aimed to investigate diversity among Pantaneiro horses from five nuclei using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) (Williams et al, 1990; Welsh & McClelland, 1990) markers and comparing them with other horse populations in Brazil
Bailey & Lear (1994) studying Arabian and Thoroughbred breeds found an average of 3.6 polymorphic bands/primer in a RAPD assay
Summary
The Pantaneiro horse is found in the Brazilian Pantanal and is well adapted to temporary local flooding conditions. It is used for transporting man in the field and leading with cattle in the region. These animals, descendents of horses brought to Brazil by the European colonizers after the discovery. They adapted and multiplied for over two hundred years and natural selection helped to define the traits found in the breed today (Sereno, 1997; Mariante & Cavalcante, 2000). Studies developed by the Brazilian Association of Pantaneiro Horse Breeders and conservation programs maintain several nuclei of the breed (Mariante & Cavalcante, 2000; Santos, 2001)
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