Inbreeding and genetic structure in the endangered sorraia horse breed: implications for its conservation and management.

Content Provider	CiteSeerX
Author	Cothran, E. Gus Maria Oom, Do Mar
Abstract	The Sorraia horse is a closed breed with reduced effective population size and considered in critical maintained risk status. The breed exists in 2 main breeding populations, one in Portugal and one in Germany, with a smaller population size. A set of 22 microsatellite loci was used to examine genetic diversity and structure of the Sorraia horse breed and to compare individual inbreeding coefficient F, estimated from pedigree data, with individual heterozygosity and mean d2. The Sorraia horse shows lower levels of microsatellite diversity when compared with other horse breeds. Due to management strategies, there are clear differences in the genetic structure of the 2 main Sorraia horse populations. Individual heterozygosity was shown to be a good estimator, used together with or as an alternative to inbreeding coefficient, in predicting fitness and evaluating the inbreeding level of the Sorraia horse. The information gathered in this study, combined with information available from previous studies, offers an important and wide information base for the future development of an effective breeding management of the Sorraia horse in order to preserve this endangered breed. The Sorraia horse is a breed with unusual characteristics. It was recovered and maintained with the purpose of preserving an equine type considered to be representative of the ancestral Iberian horse, from which several domestic horse breeds may
File Format	PDF
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Genetic Structure Sorraia Horse Endangered Sorraia Horse Breed Individual Heterozygosity Several Domestic Horse Breed Unusual Characteristic Good Estimator Closed Breed Population Size Main Breeding Population Reduced Effective Population Size Horse Breed Effective Breeding Management Microsatellite Diversity Equine Type Wide Information Base Risk Status Genetic Diversity Management Strategy Ancestral Iberian Horse Main Sorraia Horse Population Microsatellite Locus Previous Study Pedigree Data Sorraia Horse Breed Mean D2 Future Development Sorraia Horse Show Clear Difference
Content Type	Text