Population Subdivision and Migration Assessment of Mangalica Pig Breeds Based on Pedigree Analysis.

In conserving the genetic diversity of domestic animal breeds, strategies that emphasise between-breed diversity may not be optimal, as they neglect within-breed variation. The aim of the present study was to assess the extent of population subdivision in three Mangalica pig breeds and the contribution of migration to their substructure. Wright's FST coefficient was calculated based on genealogical data with breeding animals born between 1981 and 2023, with three colour variants (Blonde, Swallow-Belly and Red). These Wright's FST coefficients were analysed using multidimensional scaling to reveal the population substructure. The average FST coefficient was 0.04 for the Blonde breed and 0.047 for the Swallow-Belly and Red Mangalica breeds, while these parameters were lower in the active herds at 0.03 and 0.04, respectively. The migration of individuals between herds was 61.63% for the Blonde breed and 75.53% and 63.64% for the Swallow-Belly and Red Magalica breeds, respectively. No population substructure was observed in any of the Mangalica breeds, which can be explained by the extensive migration between herds.

The effect of age and sex on carcass traits and body composition of Hungarian yearling farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus).

Carcass characteristics were studied in 80 young Hungarian red deer in different ages (12, 15, 18 and 20 months of age). In all age group 10 male and 10 female were slaughtered. The dressed carcass weight in skin varied between 53.72 and 65.66% of live weight. The first class lean meat varied between 14.3 and 16.6% of live weight. The live weight, carcass weight increased with the age and differed also between sexes. The highest dressing percentages were found at 20 months of age in both sexes (♂: 65.7%, ♀: 62.5%). Mainly the hinds had higher loin, leg and shoulder proportions of carcass at 20 months of age than the stags. The carcass muscle, bone and fat content were measured by computer tomography. These traits were grown and their proportion changed with the age. The bone to muscle ratio gradually decreased with the age while the fat to muscle ratio increased after 15 months of age (♂: from 0.13 to 0.17, ♀: from 0.15 to 0.18). At 18 month of age the hinds had higher bone to muscle and fat to muscle ratio than the stags'. The fat percentage of carcasses increased with the age in both sexes (♂: from 8.01% to 11.04%, ♀: from 8.40% to 11.28%). The hinds had higher values than the stags but it was significant just at 20 months of age. From the meat quality attributes there were found differences between ages in the case of pH, lightness, drip loss, cooking loss and shear force. The highest pH was found at 12 months of age in both sexes. There were found 5% intermediate pH (6.2 < pH < 5.8) at 12 and 15 months of age, all of them were male. The highest lightness values were observed at 18 months of age in both sexes (♂: 13.47, ♀: 14.90). There were differences between sexes in pH at all ages, except 15 months of age, and at 18 months of age in redness and lightness. Based on our results, the optimal slaughtering time for Hungarian red deer is 20 months of age, because this is when the dressing percentage is the best for both sexes. Meat quality traits changed with age, and gender differences sexes were the most pronounced for these traits at 18 months of age.

Parentage testing and looking for single nucleotide markers associated with antler quality in deer (Cervus elaphus).

To provide a cost-efficient parentage testing kit for red deer (Cervus elaphus), a 63 SNP set has been developed from a high-density Illumina BovineHD BeadChip containing 777 962 SNPs after filtering of genotypes of 50 stags. The successful genotyping rate was 38.6 % on the chip. The ratio of polymorphic loci among effectively genotyped loci was 6.5 %. The selected 63 SNPs have been applied to 960 animals to perform parentage control. Thirty SNPs out of the 63 had worked on the OpenArray platform. Their combined value of the probability of identity and exclusion probability was 4.9 × 10 - 11 and 0.99803, respectively. A search for loci linked with antler quality was also performed on the genotypes of the above-mentioned stags. Association studies revealed 14 SNPs associated with antler quality, where low-quality antlers with short and thin main beam antlers had values from 1 to 2, while high-quality antlers with long and strong main beams had values between 4 and 5. The chance for a stag to be correctly identified as having high-value antlers is expected to be over 88 %.

Effects of Long-Term Selection in the Border Collie Dog Breed: Inbreeding Purge of Canine Hip and Elbow Dysplasia.

Pedigree data of 13,339 border collie dog was collected along with canine hip dysplasia (CHD) and canine elbow dysplasia (CED) records (1352 CHD and 524 CED), and an inbreeding-purging (IP) model was created. Ancestral inbreeding coefficients were calculated by using a gene dropping simulation method with GRain 2.2 software. Cumulative logit models (CLM) for CHD and CED were fitted using a logit-link Poisson distribution and the classical (F_W), and ancestral inbreeding (F_BAL, F_KAL, and F_KAL_NEW) coefficients as linear regression coefficients. The effective population size was calculated from F_W and decreased in the examined period along with an increase of F_W; however, slight differences were found as a consequence of breeding dog imports. CHD values were lowered by the expansion of F_BAL, as the alleles had been inbred in the past. For CHD, signs of purging were obtained. There was a positive trend regarding the breeding activity (both sire and dam of the future litters should be screened and certified free from CHD and CED), as years of selection increased the frequency of alleles with favorable hip and elbow conformation. Division of the ancestral inbreeding coefficient showed that alleles that had been identical by descent (IBD) for the first time (F_KAL_NEW) had a negative effect on both traits, while F_KAL has shown favorable results for alleles IBD in past generations. Some authors had proven this phenomenon in captive populations or experimental conditions; however, no evidence of inbreeding purge has ever been described in dog populations. Despite the various breeding practices, it seems that alleles of these polygenic disorders could be successfully purged out of the population with long-term selection.

Population Structure Analysis of the Border Collie Dog Breed in Hungary.

Pedigree data of the Border Collie dog breed were collected in Hungary to examine genetic diversity within the breed and its different lines. The database was based on available herd books dating from the development of the breed (in the late 1800s) to the present day. The constructed pedigree file consisted of 13,339 individuals, of which 1566 dogs (born between 2010 and 2016) composed the alive reference population which was active from breeding perspective. The breed is subdivided by phenotype, showing a thicker coat, harmonic movement, a wide skull, and heavier bones for the show type, and a thinner or sometimes short coat and smaller body for the working line, while the mixed line is quite heterogeneous (a combination of the above). Thus, the reference population was dissected according to the existing lines. The number of founders was 894, but eight individuals were responsible for contributing 50% of the genetic variability. The reference population had a pedigree completeness of 99.6% up to 15 generations and an inbreeding coefficient of 9.86%. Due to the changing breed standards and the requirements of the potential buyers, the effective population size substantially decreased between 2010 and 2016. Generation intervals varied between 4.09 and 4.71 years, where the sire paths were longer due to the later initial age of breeding in males compared to females. Genetic differences among the existing lines calculated by fixation indices are not significant; nonetheless ancestral inbreeding coefficients are able to show contrasts.