Multivariate characterisation of the phenotypic traits of Djallonke and Sahel sheep in Northern Ghana

Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Tannin-Rich Sericea Lespedeza Hay on Relationships among Linear Body Measurements, Body Condition Score, Body Mass Indexes, and Performance of Growing Alpine Doelings and Katahdin Ewe Lambs

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the dietary level of a condensed tannin-rich forage on linear measures, body condition score (BCS), body mass indexes (BMI), and performance and relationships among these variables in growing dairy goats and hair sheep raised for meat. An experiment with a 2 × 3 factorial treatment arrangement was conducted, with two species and three diets. Diets were 25% concentrate and 75% forage, which were alfalfa hay, condensed tannin-containing Sericea lespedeza hay, and a 1:1 mixture of both hay sources. Twenty-four Alpine (ALP) doelings and 24 Katahdin (KAT) ewe lambs were used in the 173-day study, consisting of four measurement periods. Variables included BCS, linear measures, BMI, and performance variables such as average daily gain (ADG) and dry matter intake (DMI, g/day). Linear measures were length from the shoulder point to pin (Pin) and hook (Hook) bones, height at the withers (Wither), circumference from heart girth (Heart), and width at the hook bones (Rump). Different BMI were based on the Wither, Hook, Pin, Heart, and various combinations. Heart, Rump, and all BMI were affected by species, whereas linear measures and BMI based on Wither and the combination of height and length measures were influenced by diet. There were positive (p < 0.05) correlation coefficients (r) between BCS and body weight (BW) and linear measures as well as BMI for both species, and correlations were greater for KAT than for ALP. Body condition score was correlated with BW, ADG, and DMI for KAT (p < 0.05). For ALP, the correlation between BCS and BW (p < 0.015) was much lower than for KAT (0.49 vs. 0.91), and there were only tendencies for relationships between BCS and ADG and DMI (p < 0.10). Body weight and ADG were positively correlated (p < 0.05) with all BMI for both species, and most correlations were greater for KAT than for ALP. Correlations involving BMI based on combinations of two linear measures with BW and ADG were in most instances greater than for BMI calculated from one or three linear measures. For ALP, DMI was related to BMI based on Wither and Pin (r = 0.43), Heart and Hook (r = 0.44), and Heart and Pin (r = 0.61), whereas for KAT, correlations were similar (0.72−0.75) for each of the four BMI based on two linear measures (i.e., Wither and Hook, Wither and Pin, Heart and Hook, and Heart and Pin). Therefore, it appears that each of these four BMI, preferably based on Heart and length, could be appropriate for better livestock management over BCS and in predicting animal performance.

Structural indices of indigenous goats reared under traditional management systems in East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

In phenotypic characterization of animal genetic resources, structural indices are essential components to understand the breed structure and body proportions. They are the ethnological characteristics as well as functional traits of animals providing information about the type, aptitude, and production purpose of animals. This study intends to provide information on the structural indices of indigenous goats reared under the smallholder management systems in selected districts of East Gojjam Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Data on body weight and nine morphometric measurements were collected from 706 goats (589 does and 117 bucks) selected using their dentition (≥ One Pair of Permanent Incisor), physiological status (lactating females and intact males), and health condition (healthy). Nineteen structural indices were calculated from morphometric measurements and analyzed using the general linear model (GLM) procedure of the statistical analysis system (SAS, 9.0). Data were analyzed for does and bucks separately. Location had a significant (p < 0.05) influence on pelvic index, transversal and longitudinal pelvic indices, dactyl thoracic index, and relative cannon thickness index of bucks. Except for height slope, pelvic index, baron and crevat, body ratio, areal index, over increase index, weight-1, and weight-2, all other structural indices calculated for does were significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by location. Strong correlations were observed between the structural indices calculated from the linear body measurements. The study revealed that goats in the study area are longilinear and light animals that have dairy biotype. However, further studies are needed to classify the goat types for their production purposes.

Study of racial profile of the native Guajolote (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) in two regions of Mexico: morphometric characterization

The present study aimed at the morphometric characterization of the native Guajolote reared in two regions of Mexico using multivariate analysis techniques. Data from a total of 362 unrelated native Guajolotes (257 males and 105 females) were used: of these, 160 were from the Central region and 202 were from the Southeast region. The birds were also grouped according to age, as youngs (≤ 8 months; n = 150) and adults (≥ 9 months; n = 212). The body weight (BW) and nine morphometric measurements-chest circumference (CC), body length (BL), body height (BH), neck length (NL), peak length (PL), shank length (SL), shank diameter (SD), wing length (WL) and wing width (WW)-were measured. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) due to the effect of region, sex and age for most of the morphometric measurements evaluated. There was a high percentage of positive and significant correlations (p < 0.001; p < 0.01) between the variables. In each region, three principal components were extracted that represented more than 75% of the accumulated variation among the variables. The most discriminating morphometric measurements between populations were WW, PL and NL. The Mahalanobis distance between the males and females of the two populations was 37.457 and 29.310 (p < 0.001), respectively. This differentiation can contribute to the definition of the phenotypic standard of this poultry genetic resource for its official recognition as a breed, as well as in the orientation of its genetic improvement programs in the future.

Multivariate characterization of phenotypic traits of five native cattle populations from Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abergelle, Arado, Begait, Irob, and Raya are important native cattle populations that are well adapted to the harsh natural conditions in Tigray, Ethiopia. However, little is known about their phenotypic characteristics and inter-population variability. Understanding the phenotypic characteristics is the crucial step in an effort of maintaining genetic diversity and conserving important traits for adaptation. A total of 1650 native matured cattle from the five populations were used to investigate the phenotypic characteristics and variability based on 21 qualitative traits and 21 body measurements using uni- and multivariate, and discriminant analysis. All the qualitative traits and body measurements showed highly significant breed difference except the tail base thickness. Values for most of the body measurements were higher in Begait cattle compared to the other cattle populations. The stepwise discriminant analysis extracted eighteen variables for characterizing the female populations and thirteen variables for the male populations. The pair-wise Mahalanobis distance showed the highest morphological distance between Begait and Irob, and the closest distance between Abergelle and Irob cattle populations. High correct assignment to source population was obtained for both sexes of all breeds except Abergelle and Irob. The discriminant function graph discerned each population with no clear distinction between Abergelle and Irob. These results indicate that the five cattle populations under investigation are clustered into four distinct breeds. However, the present phenotypic characterization should be confirmed with molecular genetic diversity investigation to use as a base in their conservation, breeding, and selection strategies.

Morphometric characterization of Kacang goats raised in lowland and highland areas of Jambi Province, Indonesia

Objective

The objective of this study was to characterize Kacang goats (aged 1-2 years) in the highland (group 1) and lowland (group 2) areas of Jambi Province based on their body measurements and body indices.

Materials and Methods

A total of 320 goats were collected from lowland (n = 160), and highland (n = 160) areas with sex proportions of 80 bucks and 80 does for each area. Eight body measurements and 12 body indices were used to characterize the Kacang goats from different areas.

Results

The research showed that each animal group had one principal component (PC) for body measurements and four PCs for body indices. Thus, the body measurement of rump height (RH) and the body indices of area index, weight index, and thoracic development were suggested as the variables to distinguish the Kacang goats from different areas. However, the canonical correlation (r_c) value in the study was approximately 0.30 (low). Therefore, about 59.4% (lowland) and 60.6% (highland) of Kacang goats were characterized by the body measurements, and the body indices were indicated approximately 48.8% (lowland) and 61.2% (highland) of Kacang goats. A cluster analysis of the four Kacang populations revealed that Kacang goats in this study were grouped into a first cluster (Kerinci) and a second cluster (Muaro Jambi, Batanghari, and Sungai Penuh).

Conclusion

It is concluded that body measurements and body indices cannot characterize the Kacang goats from lowland and highland areas.

Morphometric characterization and differentiation of West African Dwarf goat populations in Ghana

A study was carried out to characterize and differentiate four West African Dwarf goat populations on the basis of morphometric traits and also predict their body weights using linear body measurements. A total of 384 goats were sampled from four agro-ecological zones from the middle belt and southern part of Ghana. The morphometric traits examined for phenotypic differentiation using univariate and multivariate analysis were body weight, body length, withers height, chest girth, chest depth, shoulder point width, rump length, rump width, head length, head width, shin circumference, horn length, ear length, tail length, and hair length. Results obtained showed that agro-ecological zone and age significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the performance of most traits. The phenotypic correlations among the traits were low to high (0.06-0.67) indicating linear relationships among these traits which may be caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The regression analysis also revealed that a single trait which may be used to predict the body weight of male West African Dwarf goats of ages 1-4 years is chest/heart girth and that of female counterparts is withers height. All the populations were significantly (p < 0.0001) distant (differentiated) from each other, but the largest (4.62) estimated Mahalanobis distance (D²) was between West African Dwarf goat populations in the transitional zone P1 and the rainforest P3 while the least (1.61) was observed between transitional zone P1 and semi-deciduous forest zone P2. The highest similarity between individuals within population was found in the rainforest P3 (79.76%) and the lowest in the transitional zone P1 (47.13%). The three canonical components (Can1, Can2, and Can3) explained the total (100%) between-population variation in morphometric traits. However, in partitioning of the variance, the first two canonical components (Can1 and Can2) accounted for cumulative proportion of 84.35% of between-population variance. In order of importance, tail length, head length, ear length, shin circumference, head width, and shoulder point width were the most discriminating variables responsible for the variations among the four goat populations. In conclusion, morphometric variations exist among West African Dwarf goat populations of Ghana. Yet, further studies on molecular genetic diversity of the populations are recommended to support a sustainable breed improvement strategy. Also, equations have been developed that can be used to reliably predict the body weight of WAD goats and future research should also focus on developing single variable weight estimator measuring tapes based only on either the chest girth, withers height, or body length prediction equations for farmers to use in the absence of weighing scale.

Confronting pastoralists' knowledge of cattle breeds raised in the extensive production systems of Benin with multivariate analyses of morphological traits

Cross-border seasonal livestock movements in West Africa bring into close contact several cattle breeds. In the coastal countries hosting migrating herders from the Sahel, it often affects the genetic variability and geographical distribution of traditional cattle breeds, through their indiscriminate but also intended crossbreeding with larger-framed Sahelian cattle breeds. The need to secure and effectively manage this genetic variability, in order to respond to changing production and market conditions, is widely recognized by the scientific community, livestock herders and policy-makers. This however requires a comprehensive knowledge of the breeds’ characteristics. The indigenous criteria used by pastoralists to characterize and distinguish cattle breeds remain unclear and further validation is required. This study was therefore designed to document and validate herders' knowledge on cattle breeds. From June 2015 to June 2016, 803 cattle herders participated in a phenotypic breed description in seven pastoral communities across the country. Each cattle herder was asked to name and describe morphologically the different cattle breeds in his herd. Subsequently, fifteen body measurements taken on a total of 1401 adult cattle (964 cows and 439 bulls) were submitted to multivariate analyses. Participants distinguished ten different cattle breeds kept in traditional herds according to six primary morphological traits and clearly separated zebuine from taurine breeds. These results were consistent with those of the multivariate analyses of the measured traits. However, herders’ classification approach proved to be more accurate in distinguishing breeds within the zebuine subspecies. Hence, while metric measurements and molecular genetic analyses are promising approaches to fill the knowledge gap on the diversity of local farm animal genetic resources, they should integrate livestock herders’ traditional knowledge for more precision.

Classification and conservation priority of five Deccani sheep ecotypes of Maharashtra, India

Characterization of Indian livestock breeds has mostly been limited to single breed/population focused on either physical description of traditionally recognized breeds/populations or to their genetic description. Usually, morphological and genetic characterization has taken place in isolation. A parallel morphological characterization of genetically identified breeds or genetic characterization of morphologically described breeds is mostly missing, and their conservation priorities have largely been based on solely considering degree of endangerment. This study uses parallel approach based on morphometric and genetic differentiation for classification of five sheep ecotypes of Maharashtra state, and sets their conservation priority using threat parameters, current utilities/merits and contribution to genetic diversity. A total of 1101 animals were described for 7 body measurements for morphometric characterization. From this sample set, 456 animals were genotyped for 25 microsatellite markers for genetic characterization. Conservation priorities were assessed combining genetic and non-genetic factors. All studied traits varied significantly among ecotypes (p<0.05). All morphometric traits exhibited substantial sexual dimorphism except ear length. Males were 42% heavier than females. Madgyal sheep were the largest amongst the five ecotypes. In the stepwise discriminant analysis, all measured traits were significant and were found to have potential discriminatory power. Tail length was the most discriminatory trait. The Mahalanobis distance of the morphological traits between Kolhapuri and Madgyal was maximum (12.07) while the least differentiation was observed between Madgyal and Solapuri (1.50). Discriminant analysis showed that 68.12% sheep were classified into their source population. The Sangamneri sheep showed least assignment error (22%) whilst Solapuri exhibited maximum error level (41%). A total of 407 alleles were observed, with an average of 16.28 alleles per locus. Sufficient levels of genetic diversity were observed in all the ecotypes with observed heterozygosity values exceeding 0.47 and gene diversity values exceeding 0.76. About 6% of the total genetic variation was explained by population differences (F_ST = 0.059). Pairwise F_ST values indicated least differentiation between Solapuri and Madgyal (0.025). In terms of genetic distances, Kolhapuri and Lonand were most closely related (Ds = 0.177). The most probable structure clustering of the five studied populations was at K = 5. The study showed a fair congruence between the dendrogram constructed on the basis of Mahalanobis distances and Nei’s as well as Reynolds genetic distances. The findings gave highest conservation priority to Lonand and least to Solapuri ecotype.

Mitogenome revealed multiple postdomestication genetic mixtures of West African sheep

Notable diversity observed within African ovine breeds makes them of great interests, but limited studies on genetic origins and domestications remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the evolutionary status of West African native breeds, Djallonke and Sahelian sheep using mitogenome sequencing. Compared with other ovine mitogenome sequences, West African sheep were revealed a Eurasian origin, and the initially tamed sheep breeds in West Africa have been genetically mixed with each other and mixed with European breeds. Worldwide domestic sheep is deemed the Eurasian origin and migrated west to Europe and Africa and east to the Far East, in which dispersed and received selection for acclimation to autochthonic environment independently and ultimately evolved into different native breeds, respectively. Our results contribute to the comprehensive understanding of the domestic sheep origin and reveal multiple postdomestication genetic amelioration processes.