Genetic Variability within the Murgese Horse Breed Inferred from Genealogical Data and Morphometric Measurements

Diversity

Grazia Bramante¹  Elisa Pieragostini²  Elena Ciani³ 

[1] Associazione Nazionale Allevatori del Cavallo delle Murge e dell’Asino di Martina Franca (ANAMF), C/da Ortolini Zona L, 14 74015 Martina Franca, TA, Italy;Dipartimento dell’Emergenza e dei Trapianti di Organi, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, SP per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano, BA, Italy;Dipartimento di Bioscienze Biotecnologie e Biofarmaceutica, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, BA, Italy;

关键词: Murgese horse;    pedigree analysis;    genetic variability;    inbreeding;    effective population size;    biometric measurements;   

DOI  :  10.3390/d14060422

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The Murgese horse (MH) is a native breed from Apulia (Italy). This study aimed to evaluate the population status with regard to the available pedigree information (6923 animals born between 1900 and 2020), as well as its demographic and morphological evolution. The mean equivalent generations were 5.88. The average relatedness, inbreeding coefficient and increase in inbreeding by equivalent generation (ΔF) were 9.88%, 5.22%, 1.05%, respectively. The effective population size based on ΔF was 47.46. The effective number of founders (fe) was 36, and that of ancestors (fa) was 19. The ratio fe/fa was 1.89 witnessing a bottleneck effect. The ratio fa/fe indicates a 52% reduction of the genetic diversity as expected, given the fact that, for the current population (now recovered to 5000 breeding animals), the fe is 34 and the fa only 17, with 50% of diversity being explained by only six ancestors. Basically, the results reflect a substantial loss of genetic diversity in the MH breed over generations since its official founding, and unbalanced use of sires in the population, highlighting the importance of continuous monitoring and implementation of more effective conservation measures, especially in view of the growing request for boosting genetic improvement for MH morpho-functional traits.

【 授权许可】

Unknown