Abstract
BackgroundIn recent decades, local varieties of domesticated animal species have been frequently crossed with economically superior breeds which has resulted in considerable genetic contributions from migrants. Optimum contribution selection by maximizing gene diversity while constraining breeding values of the offspring or vice versa could eventually lead to the extinction of local breeds with historic migration because maximization of gene diversity or breeding values would be achieved by maximization of migrant contributions. Therefore, other objective functions are needed for these breeds.ResultsDifferent objective functions and side constraints were compared with respect to their ability to reduce migrant contributions, to increase the genome equivalents originating from native founders, and to conserve gene diversity. Additionally, a new method for monitoring the development of effective size for breeds with incomplete pedigree records was applied. Approaches were compared for Vorderwald cattle, Hinterwald cattle, and Limpurg cattle. Migrant contributions could be substantially decreased for these three breeds, but the potential to increase the native genome equivalents is limited.ConclusionsThe most promising approach was constraining migrant contributions while maximizing the conditional probability that two alleles randomly chosen from the offspring population are not identical by descent, given that both descend from native founders.
Highlights
In recent decades, local varieties of domesticated animal species have been frequently crossed with economically superior breeds which has resulted in considerable genetic contributions from migrants
We considered the possibility of maximizing the conditional probability φD that both alleles are not identical by descent (IBD), given that both descended from native founders (Approach D)
A more important parameter to characterize the value of a breed for conservation purposes is the conditional probability that two randomly chosen alleles are not IBD, given that both descended from native founders
Summary
Local varieties of domesticated animal species have been frequently crossed with economically superior breeds which has resulted in considerable genetic contributions from migrants. Due to agricultural innovations since the beginning of the 19th century and subsequent intensification of production, many landraces are no longer adapted to their changing environments [1,2]. They have been crossed with superior breeds in order to improve the economic value of the breeding stock. Efforts are needed to prevent the remaining historic breeds and their gene pools to become extinct.
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