Category: Genetics

Small Ruminant Research, June 2017, Vol. 151, Issue Highlights

5/31/2017

Production Systems and Sustainability
Reduced survival of lambs from maiden ewes exposed to mature ewes pre-lambing
S.M. Robertson, M.B. Allworth, M.A. Friend
Vol. 151, p11–15

The suboptimal survival of new-born lambs is a major source of reproductive inefficiency, is often lower in maiden (first-lambing) compared with multiparous ewes, and this may be associated with poor maternal behaviour due to inexperience. This study examined whether the survival of lambs from maiden ewes could be increased by exposing maiden ewes to multiparous lambing ewes in the month before lambing. Pregnant maiden Merino ewes (n = 446) which had been mated at 18 months of age were allocated to three replicates of two treatments.

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Cracking the goat genome with state of the art molecular techniques

5/29/2017

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Marcel Amills, Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB)

One of the most significant advances in the field of caprine genomics was the genome sequencing of a 3-year-old female Yunnan black goat in 2013 by a Chinese team led by Dr. Wen Wang. The aim was achieved by smartly combining conventional next generation short-read sequencing with an optical mapping technology that facilitated the laborious process of genome assembly.

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A Genetic Perspective about the Origins of the Canarian Livestock

2/27/2017

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Book Announcement

The food animals with the largest distribution on Earth are goats, with more than one billion heads. Sixty-one percent of these are distributed in twenty-seven percent of the poorest countries. Goats can be found in the Polar Circle or in the tropical rain forests, in the steepest mountains or in desert regions, on high-tech farms or in refugee camps. Nonetheless, most of them survive in pockets of poverty, among the most outcast pariahs, where their very existence can separate life from death in humans. This study focusing on the genetic perspective of the origins of goats from the Canary Islands contributes to the universality of that specie. In addition, the book includes research that demonstrates the influence of goats from the Canary Islands on American ‘creole’ genotypes. Finally, the book also discusses the origins of sheep and swine from the Canary Islands.

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Una Perspectiva Genética sobre los Orígenes del Ganado Canario

2/27/2017

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Anuncio del libro

Los animales de abasto con mayor distribución en la Tierra son los caprinos, con más de mil millones de ejemplares. El 61% de éstos se encuentran repartidos en el 27% de los países más pobres. Se pueden encontrar cabras en el Círculo Polar o en las selvas tropicales, en las montañas más abruptas o en los desiertos, en granjas tecnificadas o en los campamentos de los refugiados. Pero en su gran mayoría sobreviven en las bolsas de pobreza, junto a las parias más parias, allí donde su sola existencia puede separar la vida de la muerte entre ser humanos. Este estudio de la perspectiva genética sobre los orígenes del ganado canario contribuye a la universalidad de esta especie. Además, el libro recoge trabajo de investigación donde se demuestra la influencia del ganado canario sobre los genotipos criollos americanos. Por otra parte, el libro también trata de los orígenes de los ovinos y porcinos canarios.

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Phenotypic Characterization and Strategies for Genetic Improvement of WAD Goats under Backyard Systems

2/13/2015

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Abstract
West African Dwarf (WAD) goats represent one of the predominant small ruminant breeds raised by resource-limited households in southern Nigeria as well as in the humid west and central Africa. This breed of goats is renowned for its adaptation to hot and humid environments, high fertility and prolificacy under backyard systems where they are raised almost with zero investment. On account of its contributions to household income and food security in southern Nigeria, there is the need for a detailed phenotypic and genetic characterization as well as the design of breeding strategies for its conservation through sustainable utilization. A critical challenge, however, is that there are no national breeding policies in most of the countries where WAD goats are raised.

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