Maternal Environmental Effects Research Articles

Early growth performance in the Murciano-Granadina goats: insights from genetic and phenotypic analyses

Abstract This study investigates the genetic and phenotypic aspects of early growth performance in the Murciano-Granadina goat breed, using data collected between 2016 and 2022 from a private dairy farm in Ghale-Ganj city, located in the southern area of Kerman province, Iran. Pedigree and data information were collected on several early body weight traits, including birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), average daily gain (ADG), Kleiber ratio (KR) and growth efficiency from birth to weaning (GE). Nine univariate animal models included direct additive genetic effects and different combinations of maternal effects were compared by using Akaike information criterion (AIC). Among the tested models, the best genetic analysis model for BW, included direct additive, maternal additive, maternal permanent and maternal temporary environmental effects. The best model for ADG, KR and GE included direct additive, maternal permanent and litter effects. For WW, the best model was determined to be one that included direct additive and maternal additive genetic effects. The estimated direct heritabilities were low values of 0.04, 0.07, 0.08, 0.05 and 0.07 for BW, ADG, KR, GE and WW, respectively. The estimates of genetic correlations among the studied traits were positive and low to high in magnitude which ranged from 0.11 for BW-KR to 0.91 for BW-GE. The phenotypic correlations ranged from 0.03 for KR-WW to 0.87 for ADG-KR. The positive correlations observed among the studied growth traits of the Murciano-Granadina goat breed indicate no negative genetic or phenotypic changes associated with selection for these traits.

Maternal genetic effects throughout the life of the dam in Pirenaica beef cattle. A random regression model approach

In beef cattle, dams play a crucial role in shaping the pre- and postnatal environment for the growth of their offspring. Acknowledging the substantial impact of maternal influence on the early development of calves, researchers utilize maternal animal models. These models take into account both maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects, operating under the assumption that these influences remain constant throughout the productive life of the cow. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that these genetic and environmental effects may evolve throughout the lifespan of the cows. Therefore, this study aims to describe the changes in genetic and environmental maternal effects over the productive lifespan of the cows. To accomplish this goal, we utilized random regression models, incorporating the age of the dam effect, maternal genetic effects, and environmental permanent effects using Legendre orthogonal polynomials. Additionaly, the analytical model incorporated a covariate to adjust for the calf’s age at recording, a two-level sex effect, a random herd-year-season effect, and an additive direct genetic effect associated linked to the calf. The dataset comprised information from dams aged between 2 and 16 years, resulting in a final database that comprised weight records of 58 332 calves from 21 673 dams. The average weight at 90 days was 135.0 ± 39.3 kg, and the mean age of the dam at calving was 7.03 ± 3.41 years. We evaluated models incorporating 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 orthogonal polynomials alongside the standard maternal animal model. Aferward, we selected the model with 5 orthogonal polynomials based on the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC). The Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) estimates within this model indicated a direct heritability of around 0.50, and a maternal heritability ranging between 0.15 and 0.25, exhibiting a consistent increase between 4,5 to 13 years. The genetic correlation estimates between direct and maternal genetic effects remained stable at approximately -0.55 across the lifespan of the cows. Furthermore, maternal genetic correlations between different ages of the dam decreased to around 0.7 for more distant age points. The maternal permanent correlations were notably lower, occassionally even reaching negative values, suggesting variability in environmental influence on maternal effects over the productive lifespan of the cow. Finally, the model enables the prediction of breeding values for the maternal genetic effects of the cow across its lifespan, providing opportunities for innovative selection strategies on the maternal side.

Sex-specific genetic parameter estimates of body weight in Mazandaran indigenous chickens.

Body weight is an economically important trait in poultry that shows sexual dimorphism (SD). In the present study, variation in SD in Mazandaran native chickens was investigated in terms of the (Co) variance components and genetic parameters of body weight between males and females. Studied traits were body weights at hatch (BW1), 8 weeks (BW8) and 12 weeks of age (BW12). Also, for weight at sexual maturity (WSM) covariance components were only estimated in females. Cross-sex direct and maternal correlations were also estimated for studied traits except for WSM. For this purpose, a deep 21-generation pedigree and body weight data (57,576 BW1, 72,925 BW8, 62,727 BW12 and, 42,496 WSM) were used. Evaluation of SD of body weight was performed using six bivariate animal models with and without considering the genetic and permanent maternal environmental effects under the restricted maximum likelihood method in WOMBAT software. Model with direct additive genetic effects and maternal genetic effects without covariance between them was identified as the best model for BW1 and BW8. The Model including direct additive genetic effects and permanent maternal environmental effects was the best model for BW12 and WSM. Direct heritability (h2 ) estimates for BW1, BW8 and, BW12 were, respectively, 0.05 ± 0.013, 0.17 ± 0.02 and, 0.25 ± 0.03 in males and, 0.05 ± 0.012, 0.15 ± 0.01 and 0.21 ± 0.01 in females. Also, the direct heritability of WSM based on univariate analysis in females was estimated to be 0.40 ± 0.01. Maternal heritability ( ) varied from 0.39 ± 0.01 (BW1) to 0.04 ± 0.009 (BW8) in males, and 0.36 ± 0.10 (BW1) to 0.04 ± 0.006 (BW8) in females. The correlation between direct genetic effects between males and females for BW1 was not significantly different from one. The direct genetic correlation between the two sexes for BW8 and BW12 was significantly different from 1 concluding that these traits are dimorphic in terms of direct genetic effects and therefore independent selection in both sexes is possible.

Estimation of additive and maternal covariance of production traits in Murrah buffalo.

The study was done to determine additive, maternal and common permanent environmental effects and best-suited model for some production traits using six univariate animal models that differed in the (co)variance components fitted to assess the importance of maternal effect using likelihood ratio test in Murrah buffaloes. Data from 614 Murrah buffaloes related to production traits were collected from history pedigree sheets maintained at the buffalo farm, Department of Livestock Production and Management (LPM), LUVAS, Hisar. The production traits under this study were 305 days milk yield (305DMY), peak yield (PY), lactation length (LL), dry period (DP), lactation milk yield (LMY) and wet average (WA). The heritability estimates were in the range of 0.33-0.44 for 305DMY, 0.25-0.51 for PY, 0.05-0.13 for LL, 0.03-0.23 for DP, 0.17-0.40 for LMY and 0.37-0.66 for WA. Model 1 was considered best for most of the traits, viz., 305DMY, PY, LL, LMY and WA followed by model 2 for DP. Covariance and correlated values within the traits caused inflation of heritability in model 3 and model 6. The maximum covariance between the additive and maternal effect was found in trait LMY, which was 14,183.90 in model 3 and the minimum value was also reported in the same trait for model 6, valued at -3522.37. Multivariate analysis showed that all production traits were moderate to high and positively correlated with each other except for DP, which was low and negative genetic and phenotypic correlated. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients of breeding value among all six models were high and significant, ranged from 0.78 to 1.00 for all the traits except DP, therefore any of the models could be taken into account depending upon the availability of data.

Do winter and summer cohorts of the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus differ in seed germination and seedling growth?

AbstractThe highly invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus flowers during both hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters in Nepal, yet it remains unknown if there are differences in seed germination and seedling growth during these contrasting seasons. We analysed seed germination and seedling growth of summer and winter cohorts of P. hysterophorus in Kathmandu Valley. Seeds were germinated at low (25/15°C) and high (30/20°C) temperatures, 12/12 h photoperiod and complete dark, and at different levels of water stress. Seedlings were grown in a greenhouse to determine biomass allocation and relative growth rate (RGR). Winter seeds had higher seed biomass than summer seeds, and both seed types germinated under complete dark and 12/12 h photoperiod. Summer seeds germinated at significantly lower rates and percentage than winter seeds at the low temperature, but this difference in germination was not present when summer and winter seeds were incubated at the high temperature. Winter seeds had higher germination (percentage and rate) and took a longer time to reach maximum germination than summer seeds at different levels of water stress. Seedling emergence of both seed types declined with increasing soil depth. Seedling RGRs were nearly equal (summer: 73 mg g−1 day−1, winter: 77 mg g−1 day−1). Biomass allocation to stem and leaves were similar in both cohorts but root biomass allocation was higher in the winter than in the summer cohort. Overall, the maternal environmental effect was moderate on seed germination, and weak on seedling growth. Lack of a pronounced difference in the germination and seedling growth of summer and winter cohorts of P. hysterophorus suggests a wide environmental tolerance of the species, and this could be one of the reasons for the species' ability to invade diverse climatic and geographic regions globally.

Can social support mitigate the negative effects of maternal depression and family environment on child health and maternal care?

BackgroundChild health is a complex process affected by numerous risks and protective factors. This study examined how maternal depression, family environment, and social support affect a child's physical health and maternal care. MethodsThe retrospective cohort comprised 172 infants followed up during the first year of life in five longitudinal assessments. The Physical Health and Maternal Care Indicator (ISCM) was used to assess vaccination, nutrition, growth, diseases, and accidents during well-being consultations. We used a structural equation model (SEM) to examine the relationships between ISCM scores and family environment, maternal depression, and social support. ResultsMost children were born preterm (71.5 %) and with low birth weight (66.8 %). Most mothers were adults (89.6 %) and had a partner (63.4 %). In the latent variable of family environment, the following variables remained in the factor: single mothers, non-nuclear families, and inter-partner violence. Family environment was directly related to a higher occurrence of maternal depression (b = 1.20; p = 0.027) and worse scores on the ISCM (b = -0.24; p = 0.027). Maternal depression also negatively affected ISCM scores (b = 0.02, p = 0.003). Social support decreased maternal depressive symptoms and indirectly improved ISCM scores through maternal depression (b = 0.28; p = 0.04). LimitationLimited external generalization due to non-probabilistic sample. ConclusionsUnfavorable family environment, marked by violence against women, non-nuclear family composition, and single motherhood, negatively affected maternal mental health and child health in the first year of life. Social support received by the mother can mitigate the negative effects of maternal depression on the child's health, thereby improving the quality of maternal care.

Maternal Environment and Priming Agents Effect Germination and Seedling Quality in Pitaya under Salt Stress

Lack of water and salinity are common problems in many parts of the world. Therefore, some types of cacti can present as promising crops. Therefore, the ability of cactus species to survive and adapt under natural stress conditions should be evaluated. The experiment was aimed at evaluating the effect of salt stress on germination and emergence of pitaya seeds obtained from different species (Hyloceresu undatus (Haw.) Britton and Rose and Hylocereus polyrhizus (Lem.) Britton and Rose), priming with plant growth regulators, namely salicylic acid (SA), oxalic acid (OA) and mepiquat chloride (MC). The experiment had a completely randomized design with a 2 × 4 × 3 factorial scheme corresponding to two pitaya cultivars (white- and red-fleshed), four NaCl concentrations (0, 2500, 5000 and 10,000 ppm), and three PGRs (150 ppm/MC, SA, OC). According to the results, the maternal environment of the seed was important in salt stress resistance, while seeds matured in the environment with red fruit flesh were more tolerant to salt stress. Although Pitaya species are relatively salt-tolerant, growth (about 30%) was significantly reduced above 2500 ppm and germination (about 45%) above 5000 ppm. Germination percentage stood out as the most important trait determining seed quality and had positive effects on the germination stress tolerance index (r: 0.63), seedling length (r: 0.74) and fresh seedling weight (r: 0.56). This is the first study of how maternal environment affects germination and seedling quality under saline conditions in Hylocereus. The results obtained may contribute to pitaya cultivation and breeding.

Cultivar and Maternal Plant Environment Influence Cold Stratification Requirements and Germination Rates of Vitis Species

Open-pollinated seeds from grapevines in Parlier and Davis (in California) and Geneva (in New York) were collected in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Seeds were subjected to a series of cold stratification treatments of varying lengths and germinated in incubators to compare germination rates. Two V. vinifera cultivars (Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon) and three other cultivars (V. labrusca hybrids) with a similar genetic background were compared across three locations to test for maternal environmental effects on germination rates under different cold stratification durations. Two interspecific hybrids (‘Salamander’ and ‘Sovereign Rose’) and three genotypes each from two species, V. riparia and V. cinerea, were evaluated to compare germination rate variability at different cold stratification durations among and within species and hybrids. Large variability in germination rates was evident among and within grape species, with some accessions requiring little to no cold stratification, and others requiring 10 to 12 weeks. These differences could be useful for breeding grapevines with high or low dormancy requirements. The maternal plant environment impacted the seed weight and total seed germination across years and locations.

Direct additive genetics and maternal effect contribute to the risk of Tourette disorder

BackgroundRisk for Tourette disorder, and chronic motor or vocal tic disorders (referenced here inclusively as CTD), arise from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. While multiple studies have demonstrated...

Investigating the genetic basis of vertebrate dispersal combining RNA-seq, RAD-seq and quantitative genetics.

Although animal dispersal is known to play key roles in ecological and evolutionary processes such as colonization, population extinction and local adaptation, little is known about its genetic basis, particularly in vertebrates. Untapping the genetic basis of dispersal should deepen our understanding of how dispersal behaviour evolves, the molecular mechanisms that regulate it and link it to other phenotypic aspects in order to form the so-called dispersal syndromes. Here, we comprehensively combined quantitative genetics, genome-wide sequencing and transcriptome sequencing to investigate the genetic basis of natal dispersal in a known ecological and evolutionary model of vertebrate dispersal: the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara. Our study supports the heritability of dispersal in semi-natural populations, with less variation attributable to maternal and natal environment effects. In addition, we found an association between natal dispersal and both variation in the carbonic anhydrase (CA10) gene, and in the expression of several genes (TGFB2, SLC6A4, NOS1) involved in central nervous system functioning. These findings suggest that neurotransmitters (serotonin and nitric oxide) are involved in the regulation of dispersal and shaping dispersal syndromes. Several genes from the circadian clock (CRY2, KCTD21) were also differentially expressed between disperser and resident lizards, supporting that the circadian rhythm, known to be involved in long-distance migration in other taxa, might affect dispersal as well. Since neuronal and circadian pathways are relatively well conserved across vertebrates, our results are likely to be generalisable, and we therefore encourage future studies to further investigate the role of these pathways in shaping dispersal in vertebrates.

Quantitative genetics of breeding coloration in sand lizards; genic capture unlikely to maintain additive genetic variance

Sexual selection on fitness-determining traits should theoretically erode genetic variance and lead to low heritability. However, many sexually selected traits maintain significant phenotypic and additive genetic variance, with explanations for this “lek paradox” including genic capture due to condition-dependence, and breaks on directional selection due to environmental sources of variance including maternal effects. Here we investigate genetic and environmental sources of variance in the intrasexually selected green badge of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis). The badge functions as a cue to male fighting ability in this species, and male–male interactions determine mate acquisition. Using animal models on a pedigree including three generations of males measured over an extensive 9-year field study, we partition phenotypic variance in both badge size and body condition into additive genetic, maternal, and permanent environmental effects experienced by an individual over its lifespan. Heritability of badge size was 0.33 with a significant estimate of underlying additive genetic variance. Body condition was strongly environmentally determined in this species and did not show either significant additive genetic variance or heritability. Neither badge size nor body condition was responsive to maternal effects. We propose that the lack of additive genetic variance and heritability of body condition makes it unlikely that genic capture mechanisms maintain additive genetic variance for badge size. That said, genic capture was originally proposed for male traits under female choice, not agonistic selection. If developmental pathways generating variance in body condition, and/or the covarying secondary sex trait, differ between inter- and intrasexual selection, or the rate at which their additive genetic variance or covariance is depleted, future work may show whether genic capture is largely restricted to intersexual selection processes.

Developmental origins of health and disease: Impact of paternal nutrition and lifestyle.

Most epidemiological and experimental studies have focused on maternal influences on offspring's health. The impact of maternal undernutrition, overnutrition, hypoxia, and stress is linked to adverse offspring outcomes across a range of systems including cardiometabolic, respiratory, endocrine, and reproduction among others. During the past decade, it has become evident that paternal environmental factors are also linked to the development of diseases in offspring. In this article, we aim to outline the current understanding of the impact of male health and environmental exposure on offspring development, health, and disease and explore the mechanisms underlying the paternal programming of offspring health. The available evidence suggests that poor paternal pre-conceptional nutrition and lifestyle, and advanced age can increase the risk of negative outcomes in offspring, via both direct (genetic/epigenetic) and indirect (maternal uterine environment) effects. Beginning at preconception, and during utero and the early life after birth, cells acquire an epigenetic memory of the early exposure which can be influential across the entire lifespan and program a child's health. Potentially not only mothers but also fathers should be advised that maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is important to improve offspring health as well as the parental health status. However, the evidence is mostly based on animal studies, and well-designed human studies are urgently needed to verify findings from animal data.

Heritability and variance components of seed size in wild species: influences of breeding design and the number of genotypes tested.

Seed size affects individual fitness in wild plant populations, but its ability to evolve may be limited by low narrow-sense heritability (h2). h2 is estimated as the proportion of total phenotypic variance (σ2P) attributable to additive genetic variance (σ2A), so low values of h2 may be due to low σ2A (potentially eroded by natural selection) or to high values of the other factors that contribute to σ2P, such as extranuclear maternal effects (m2) and environmental variance effects (e2). Here, we reviewed the published literature and performed a meta-analysis to determine whether h2 of seed size is routinely low in wild populations and, if so, which components of σ2P contribute most strongly to total phenotypic variance. We analyzed available estimates of narrow-sense heritability (h2) of seed size, as well as the variance components contributing to these parameters. Maternal and environmental components of σ2P were significantly greater than σ2A, dominance, paternal, and epistatic components. These results suggest that low h2 of seed size in wild populations (the mean value observed in this study was 0.13) is due to both high values of maternally derived and environmental (residual) σ2, and low values of σ2A in seed size. The type of breeding design used to estimate h2 and m2 also influenced their values, with studies using diallel designs generating lower variance ratios than nested and other designs. e2 was not influenced by breeding design. For some breeding designs, the number of genotypes included in a study also influenced the resulting h2 and e2 estimates, but not m2. Our data support the view that a diallel design is better suited than the alternatives for the accurate estimation of σ2A in seed size due to its factorial design and the inclusion of reciprocal crosses, which allows the independent estimation of both additive and non-additive components of variance.

Associations between polymorphisms in the myostatin gene with calving difficulty and carcass merit in cattle.

A fully functional myostatin gene inhibits muscle fiber growth. The objective of the present study was to quantify the association between 21 known myostatin mutations with both calving and carcass traits in 12 cattle breeds. The myostatin genotypes of 32,770 dam-progeny combinations were used in the association analysis of calving dystocia, with the genotypes of 129,803 animals used in the mixed model association analyses of carcass weight, conformation, and fat score. The mixed model included additive genetic, maternal, and permanent environmental effects where appropriate. The mutant genotypes of nt821, Q204X, and F94L were all associated (P < 0.01) with more calving difficulty when present in either the dam or the progeny. The nt821 deletion had the greatest association with calving difficulty when the homozygous deletion was present in either the calf (0.37 points greater calving difficulty score relative to calves carrying no copies of the deletion based on a one to four scale) or the dam (1.30 points greater calving difficulty score relative to dams carrying no copies of the deletion), although the association between the calf's nt821 genotype and calving difficulty differed depending on the nt821 genotype of the dam. With the exception of nt748_78, nt414, and nt374_51, all other seven segregating myostatin variants were associated (range of allele substitution effect size relative to animals with no copies of the mutant allele) with carcass weight (2.36 kg lighter to 15.56 kg heavier), all 10 segregating variants with conformation (0.15 units less conformed to 2.24 units more conformed assessed on a scale of 1 to 15), and all segregating variants other than E226X with carcass fat (0.23 units less carcass fat cover to 3.85 units more carcass fat cover assessed on a scale of 1 to 15). Of these, the F94L, Q204X, and nt821 mutations generally had the greatest association with all three carcass traits, giving rise to heavier and more conformed carcasses. Despite the antagonistic genetic relationship between calving difficulty and carcass traits, the nt374_51, F94L, and E226X mutations were all associated with improved carcass merit while having minimal expected consequences on calving difficulty. Thus, animals carrying these mutation(s) may have favorable genetic merit for calving difficulty and carcass merit. Furthermore, depending on the dam genotype, a bull with two copies of the nt821 mutation can produce progeny with improved carcass merit while minimizing calving problems.

Comparison of different models for the estimation of genetic parameters in tropical goats.

This study aimed to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters for body weight in tropical goats testing different models using Bayesian approach and investigate the effectiveness of fitting the effects of maternal genetic, permanent environmental, and covariance between direct and maternal effects. Records from 1980 to 2010 of 1453 Anglo-Nubian goats' herd were used. Six performance growth traits: birth weight (BW, kg), at 28 (W28, kg), 56 (W56, kg), 112 (W112, kg), 140 (W140, kg), and 196 (W196; kg) days of age, were evaluated. There was a negative covariance between direct genetic effects and maternal additive for all weights. The effect of maternal permanent environment is an important source of variation for performance characteristics in goats until the 196days, and must be considered in genetic evaluation models in order to obtain accurate predictions of breeding values of individuals. The importance of inclusion of the additive maternal effect appears to be more dependent on the structure of the data set under evaluation. Given the structure of the data, the described management and criteria for choosing the best model (deviance information criterion and the Bayes factor) should make the estimation of parameters for weights at birth and at 28 and 56days using model IV, since that will provide more consistent results than the type I (less complex), without the need of accurate representations of knowledge prior to data collection. Over time, the breeding program will have more data and thereby increase the possibility of building a prior distribution confident that would enable the inference of parameters for more complex models. However, these are preferable components for the estimation of the characteristics and weights to 112 at 140 and at 196days, using model I (less complex).

Direct and maternal genetic effects for preinflection point growth traits and humoral immunity in quail

Early growth traits in quails are considered as the growth performances before the inflection point which are genetically different from body weights (BW) at later stages. Moreover, in addition to growth performance, humoral immunity is moderately heritable and is considered in some breeding programs. However, estimating the direct genetic, particularly the maternal genetic correlations between growth and immunity in quail, are not studied sufficiently, which were the aims of the present study. The quails' BW were recorded at hatch (BW0) to 25 d of age with a 5-d interval and body weight gains (BWG) were measured as average growth performance of the birds in a 5-d period. Antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus (IgN) was measured through the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. For titration of anti-SRBC antibodies (IgY and IgM), a hemagglutination microtiter assay was used. In general, growth records in 4,181 birds and humoral immune responses in 1,023 birds were assigned to the study. The genetic parameters were estimated by single-trait analysis via Gibb's sampling. After finding the best model for each trait, multi-trait analysis was done to estimate the direct and maternal genetic correlations. Direct heritabilities (h2) were estimated to be moderate for BW (0.481-0.551) and BWG (0.524-0.557), while h2 for immune responses were low (0.035-0.079). Maternal environmental effect (c2) was only significant for BW0, BW5, and BWG0-5. Maternal heritabilities (m2) for BW and BWG were all lower than corresponding h2, ranging from 0.072 (BW25) to 0.098 (BW0). The m2 for IgN (0.098) was more than 2.5 times greater than h2 (0.040) for this trait. Direct (ra) and maternal (rm) genetic correlations between IgN-BW, IgY-BW, and IgY-BWG were negative, while ra and rm for IgM-BW, IgN-BWG, and IgM-BWG were positive. The ra between humoral immune responses were low to moderate and rm was significant only for IgY-IgM (0.339). Given positive genetic correlations in BWG-IgN and BWG-IgM as well as positive genetic correlations between both IgN and IgM with IgY, it is suggested that including the BWG in the breeding programs would directly result in the improvement of the birds' growth performance. It would also contribute indirectly to the improvement of the birds' humoral immune responses.

Comparative ecology of chasmogamous and cleistogamous reproduction inDanthonia compressa: effects of floral type and maternal environment

The significance of maternal and progeny environment to chasmogamy (CH) and cleistogamy (CL) in perennial plants is not well known. The perennial grass Danthonia compressa produces CH spikelets capable of outcrossing on terminal panicles in summer followed by selfing axillary CL spikelets in autumn. This study compared CH and CL seed mass, germination, seedling size, tillering, and reproduction in a sunny woodland edge and shaded interior habitat in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. CL seeds were significantly heavier than CH seeds. Numbers and mass of both seed types were greater in the edge. CL seeds showed much greater germination than CH seeds in both environments during spring, 2018; CL seedlings were larger than CH seedlings in the sunnier habitat. Survival was much greater in the edge than interior and higher for CL seedlings. After 27 months, maternal effects were mostly not detected and there was no significant effect of plant type (CH vs CL) on tiller production, final biomass, or reproduction via CH and CL. For this native grass, non-dispersed CL seeds may be more critical to seedling establishment and population persistence due to greater mass and germinability, and better plant survival, relative to smaller, dispersible CH seeds.

Effectiveness of genetic grouping with different strategies for estimation of genetic parameters in growth traits in Merino lambs

The effectiveness of genetic grouping in genetic evaluations for growth traits in Merino sheep was researched in this study. In the study, 17,537 lambs born to 48 rams and 7118 ewes in 30 flocks were evaluated in animal models using REML. A model without a genetic group (GG0) was used in the analysis, as well as a model with three different genetic groups (GG). Maternal genetic and common environmental effects are included in all models. However, the models with and without covariance between direct and maternal effect were used for each trait. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) was used to compare models, taking into account the accuracy and Pearson and Spearman correlations between 48 rams for breeding values. Direct heritability (hd2), maternal heritability (m2) and maternal common environmental effects (cm2) were generally found to be less than 0.10. The most important source of variation was found to be flock-year-season (FYS). It is worth bearing in mind that cFYS2 has a very high share of phenotypic variance in all models, ranging from 0.07 ± 0.01–0.43 ± 0.03. The fact that there is such a wide environmental difference between enterprises in the same region is a major issue for the improvement programme. It is necessary to intensify studies on the one hand for the expansion of small businesses and on the other hand for more modern animal husbandry to achieve this. AIC found that models based on GGs were better suited for all traits. Unlike AIC, the GG0 model had the highest accuracy for rams. The accuracy of the model (GG3), in which the mothers of animals whose father was unknown were also deleted and genetically grouped for both, was found to be lower for ADG and higher for WW. Furthermore, while the average accuracy for BW decreased to 0.60 in the other genetic group (GG1: lambs born in the same year in a flock and GG2: lambs born in a flock) models, it was found to be around 0.80 for ADG and above 0.80 for WW. According to research findings, it is possible to perform a genetic evaluation without losing data, especially in pedigrees with unknown fathers.

13.1 Genetic Maternal Effect, Ultra-Rare, Rare, and Common Variation Contribute to the Genetic Risk Architecture of OCD

OCD is a heritable multifactorial disorder, meaning that the risk of OCD is influenced by a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors, such as maternal conditions before and during pregnancy. The maternal effect reflects influences on the offspring phenotype that result from indirect effects of maternal genotypes (maternal genetic nurture) and/or maternal environment; the former always, and the latter often, are beyond the direct influence of the mother herself. Despite the genetic and environmental findings for OCD, the contribution of inherited genetic variation across the allelic frequency spectrum and the contribution of maternal effect to the risk of OCD remains uncertain.

Gut microbiota and growth performance of offspring are influenced by wet nurse in pigs using cross-fostering trial.

Nursing mom can regulate the gut microbiome succession in offspring. However, it remains unclear whether these effects are long-term and what effect it has on the growth performance of piglets. This study aimed to develop a cross-fostering model of piglets and investigate the effect of maternal environment on gut microbiota, even the growth performance of the offspring, and if this effect could be maintained in the long term. Four groups of piglets were generated as follows (n= 12): Duroc piglets nursed by their birth mom (Dd) or Yorkshire sows (Yd), Yorkshire piglets nursed by Duroc sows (Dy) or their birth mom (Yy). The study found that cross-fostering improved the growth performance of piglets for a long time. The gut microbiota of piglets was mainly determined by the breeds of nursing moms before weaning, and it was more and more influenced by their breeds after weaning, but the influence of birth mom breeds still existed. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis and Spearman correlation analysis showed that Sutterella, Butyricimonas and Alistipes, which were affected by nursing mom before weaning, had a strong positive correlation with the growth performance of piglets before weaning. Candidatus_Soleaferrea and Treponema, which were affected by both nursing mom and piglet breed after weaning, were significantly negatively correlated with the growth performance of piglets long after weaning. Our results revealed that both the breeds of piglets and their birth moms influence the gut microbiota of piglets for a long time, even after weaning. Additionally, this effect might be related to the growth performance of piglets. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.