Abstract
Simple SummaryAlpacas (Vicugna pacos) are South American members of the tribe Lamini of the Camelidae family. They are bred for their fiber, which is considered a luxury material. Interest in alpaca breeding is increasing in Poland, but the local alpaca population is relatively young and heterogeneous. The poor quality of alpaca fiber results from uncontrolled crossing with llamas (Lama glama). Hybridization between the two species is a well-known phenomenon among alpaca breeders worldwide and is the cause of poor fiber quality, which leads to economic losses. Microsatellite markers can distinguish alpacas from llamas and indicate the level of admixture. However, it is difficult to determine in which generation the admixture took place. The high genetic diversity of alpacas bred in Poland has emerged as a consequence of their mixed origins. In this context, the microsatellite markers recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics have been shown to be highly useful for individual identification and parentage testing of alpacas.This study aimed to characterize the population structure and genetic diversity of alpacas maintained in Poland using 17 microsatellite markers recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics. The classification of llamas, alpacas, and hybrids of both based on phenotype is often difficult due to long-term admixture. Our results showed that microsatellite markers can distinguish alpacas from llamas and provide information about the level of admixture of one species in another. Alpacas admixed with llamas constituted 8.8% of the tested individuals, with the first-generation hybrid displaying only 7.4% of llama admixture. The results showed that Poland hosts a high alpaca genetic diversity as a consequence of their mixed origin. More than 200 different alleles were identified and the average observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity values were 0.745 and 0.768, respectively, the average coefficient of inbreeding was 0.034, and the average polymorphism information content value was 0.741. The probability of exclusion for one parent was estimated at 0.99995 and for two parents at 0.99999.
Highlights
The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) belongs to the South American Camelid (SAC) group and the tribe Lamini of family Camelidae, together with the llama (Lama glama), another widely domesticated species
Alpaca fiber quality can be negatively affected by hybridization and uncontrolled crossing of alpacas with llamas, which has occurred since the Spanish conquest of South America [2]
The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of alpacas and determine whether it is possible to identify alpaca–llama hybrids kept in Poland on the basis of microsatellite markers, as it is assumed that their exclusion from breeding programs could contribute to the improvement of fiber quality
Summary
The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) belongs to the South American Camelid (SAC) group and the tribe Lamini of family Camelidae, together with the llama (Lama glama), another widely domesticated species. Alpaca fiber quality can be negatively affected by hybridization and uncontrolled crossing of alpacas with llamas, which has occurred since the Spanish conquest of South America [2]. Due to this long-term hybridization, their recognition based on phenotype is often ineffective [9]. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of alpacas and determine whether it is possible to identify alpaca–llama hybrids kept in Poland on the basis of microsatellite markers, as it is assumed that their exclusion from breeding programs could contribute to the improvement of fiber quality
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