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Güzel BC, Manuta N, Ünal B, Ruzhanova-Gospodinova IS, Duro S, Gündemir O, Szara T. Size and shape of the neurocranium of laying chicken breeds. Poult Sci 2024; 103:104008. [PMID: 39013297 PMCID: PMC11305327 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The neurocranium in birds provides valuable insights into their morphological diversity, including adaptations related to brain size, facial shaping, and environmental factors. This study analyzes the neurocranial shape characteristics and size of chickens with similar genetic backgrounds. By examining the neurocranial shape variation in chickens of the same age and sex, the study aims to understand the factors contributing to morphological diversity within this specific group. 3D geometric morphometrics was used to analyze 235 neurocrania from four chicken breeds. The analysis revealed significant differences in centroid size among the chicken breeds. The largest neurocranium centroid size was found in Sasso chickens., which were statistically separated from Atak-S. Additionally, centroid size effectively differentiates between Lohmann Brown and Lohmann Sandy chicken breeds. The most significant shape variation concerned the width of the rostral part of the frontal bone. However, according to the PC1 value, the shape variation was observed within rather than between groups. Lohmann Sandy chickens exhibited higher variability in neurocranial shape, suggesting greater shape diversity within this breed than others. As for shape analysis, the breeds showed closer similarity to each other. Lohmann Sandy chickens are characterized by positive PC1 value, with the rostral end of the frontal region inclined more ventrally, and a more extensive basioccipital region. Sasso chickens have a more dome-shaped middle part of the frontal region than other breeds. The study also identified the most significant shape variation among the study samples, observed at the rostral part of the frontal bone. These findings contribute to understanding the genetic and environmental influences shaping neurocranial morphology in chickens. Similar studies in different bird species and subspecies offer valuable insights into avian biology and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barış Can Güzel
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Siirt University, Siirt 56100, Türkiye
| | - Nicoleta Manuta
- Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul 34320, Türkiye
| | - Burak Ünal
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul 34320, Türkiye
| | | | - Sokol Duro
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, 1029 Tirana, Albania
| | - Ozan Gündemir
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul 34320, Türkiye
| | - Tomasz Szara
- Department of Morphological Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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Egg Quality of Italian Local Chicken Breeds: I. Yield Performance and Physical Characteristics. Animals (Basel) 2022; 13:ani13010148. [PMID: 36611756 PMCID: PMC9817804 DOI: 10.3390/ani13010148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare yield performance (from 39 to 50 weeks of age) and egg physical characteristics (at 50 weeks of age) of eight autochthonous chicken breeds of the Veneto region (Italy). Four white eggshell breeds, namely Padovana Camosciata (PA-C, chamois plumage), Padovana Dorata (PA-G, golden plumage), Polverara Bianca (PO-W, white plumage), and Polverara Nera (PO-B, black plumage), and four tinted eggshell breeds, namely Pepoi (PP), Ermellinata di Rovigo (ER), Robusta Maculata (RM), and Robusta Lionata (RL) from a conservation centre were considered in the trial. Significant differences (p < 0.05) among breeds were observed for yield performance and egg quality. From 39 to 50 weeks of age, the hen-day egg production was higher in PA-C and RM than in RL, and PO-W and ER were intermediate; PA-G, PO-B, and PP were the lowest. The hen-day egg production changed according to the age of the hens. From 39 to 42 weeks of age, ER showed the highest hen-day egg production and PA-G the lowest; from 47 to 50 weeks, PA-C, PO-W, and RM were the highest and PP the lowest. The tinted eggshell breeds, with the exception of PP, had higher egg weights than white eggshell breeds. PP egg weight was similar to PO-B. As regards the tinted eggshell breeds, RM eggs had the highest eggshell a* and b*, and PP the lowest. PA-C had the most spherical eggs, and PO-B and ER had the most ovoid eggs. PO-W and RM had the highest eggshell thickness and ER had the lowest. The highest eggshell ratio was observed for PO-W and PO-B, and the lowest for ER. The yolk-to-albumen ratio was higher in the white eggshell breeds than in PP, ER, and RL. ER had the highest Haugh units and PA-G the lowest. PO-W, PO-B, PA-C, PA-G, and ER had the lowest egg inclusions, and RL and RM the highest. Tinted eggshell eggs differed from white eggshell eggs by having higher meat spots. Results indicated that the eggs produced by the eight local chicken breeds differed according to the laying rate and a wide range of physical external and internal characteristics which allow the consumer to distinguish them for their genetic origin by the eggshell shape and colour, and to use them for different purposes to valorise poultry biodiversity.
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Salgado Pardo JI, Navas González FJ, González Ariza A, Arando Arbulu A, León Jurado JM, Delgado Bermejo JV, Camacho Vallejo ME. Traditional sexing methods and external egg characteristics combination allow highly accurate early sex determination in an endangered native turkey breed. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:948502. [PMID: 36046507 PMCID: PMC9420986 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.948502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Early sex determination methods are not only crucial in the worldwide massive poultry industry, but also for small-holder producers. The profitability of sexing techniques must be accounted for when aiming to boost management, nutrition, and conservation practices in endangered poultry breeds. This becomes pivotal when the local breed dealt with belongs to an understudied species, such as the turkey. So, the main objective of this study is to identify which method combination may report a higher likelihood of successful sex determination in poults across the three-pattern varieties of the Andalusian turkey breed. A total of 84 one to two days old Andalusian turkey poults (42 black, 28 black-roan, and 14 bronze-roan) were evaluated in this study. Sex determination was performed using 15 methods, which included testing external egg metrics and eggshell color, poult morphological appraisal and phaneroptics, and behavioral traits. Possible differences across plumage varieties and the interaction between sex and plumage were observed when external egg quality was measured. Sex determination through behavioral methods in black base feathered (black and black-roan) male sex individuals showed seven times higher sensitivity when compared to the rest of the studied individuals (χ2 = 7.14, df = 1, P < 0.01). In contrast, for the black-roan plumage females, the method based on the color of down feathers was approximately four times more sensitive (χ2 = 3.95, df = 1, P ≤ 0.05). For the bronze-roan pattern, none of the sexing techniques was reported to efficiently predict sex itself. However, the most proper method combination to determine sex, independent of plumage color, was physical external egg characteristics, the color of down feathers, and behavioral approaches (“English method” and “slap technique”). The specificity values were found to be 49.12, 93.33, and 100%, while the sensitivity values were observed to be 74.64, 91.03, and 100%, which translated into accuracy of 63.10, 92.26, and 100% in black, black-roan, and bronze-roan poults, respectively. Our results suggest that the method combination tested in this study could be considered a highly accurate, simple, and affordable alternative for sex determination in turkeys. This could mean a pivotal advance for small producers of turkeys, as early sex detection can help to plan timely conservational management strategies, which is of prominent importance in the context of endangered poultry breeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. I. Salgado Pardo
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Francisco Javier Navas González
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Agriculture and Ecological Husbandry, Area of Agriculture and Environment, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Córdoba, Spain
- *Correspondence: Francisco Javier Navas González
| | - Antonio González Ariza
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- Antonio González Ariza
| | - A. Arando Arbulu
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - J. M. León Jurado
- Agropecuary Provincial Centre, Córdoba Provincial Government, Córdoba, Spain
| | - J. V. Delgado Bermejo
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - M. E. Camacho Vallejo
- Department of Agriculture and Ecological Husbandry, Area of Agriculture and Environment, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Córdoba, Spain
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HOXC10 intronic duplication is associated with unsealed skull and crest in crested chicken with cerebral hernia. Gene 2022; 840:146758. [PMID: 35905851 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The genetic basis and developmental mechanism of unsealed skull in crested chicken with cerebral hernia remain unclear. Here, a genomic region including six HOXC genes was mapped by bulked segregant analysis (BSA) in a crested chicken resource population. A 195-bp intronic tandem duplication was further confirmed in the HOXC10 gene. HOXC genes, particularly HOXC10, were expressed ectopically in fetal skin and meningeal tissues of crested chicken with cerebral hernia, indicating its impact on the cranial mesenchymal tissues that drive the development of scalp skin, frontal bone, and meninges. The restricted expansion of frontal bone progenitors labeled with anti-RUNX2 antibody in the supraorbital mesenchyme of the fetal head implied abnormal migration, which contributed to the formation of the unsealed skull. This study suggests that HOXC genes were potent drivers for the abnormalities of the head crest and unsealed skull observed in crested chicken with cerebral hernia.
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Versace E, Ragusa M, Pallante V, Wang S. Attraction for familiar conspecifics in young chicks (Gallus gallus): An interbreed study. Behav Processes 2021; 193:104498. [PMID: 34499985 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
From the beginning of life, discriminating between familiar and unfamiliar individuals and staying in contact with conspecifics are important to establish social relationships. To better understand these early social behaviours, we studied the different responses to familiar/unfamiliar individuals in 4-day-old domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) in three genetically isolated breeds: Padovana, Polverara and Robusta maculata. Chicks discriminated between familiar and unfamiliar individuals, staying closer to familiar individuals. Social reinstatement and fear responses were measured as the average distance between subjects, the latency of the first step and exploration of the arena differed between breeds. More socially motivated chicks, that stayed in closer proximity, were less afraid of starting to move and explored the environment more extensively. Interbreed differences in social reinstatement indicate that social attraction shows genetic variability from the early stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Versace
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, UK; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy.
| | - Morgana Ragusa
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy
| | - Virginia Pallante
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy; Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Shuge Wang
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, 327 Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London, UK
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Li J, Lee MO, Davis BW, Wu P, Hsieh Li SM, Chuong CM, Andersson L. The crest phenotype in domestic chicken is caused by a 197 bp duplication in the intron of HOXC10. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6062401. [PMID: 33704432 PMCID: PMC8022956 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkaa048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The Crest mutation in chicken shows incomplete dominance and causes a spectacular phenotype in which the small feathers normally present on the head are replaced by much larger feathers normally present only in dorsal skin. Using whole-genome sequencing, we show that the crest phenotype is caused by a 197 bp duplication of an evolutionarily conserved sequence located in the intron of HOXC10 on chromosome 33. A diagnostic test showed that the duplication was present in all 54 crested chickens representing eight breeds and absent from all 433 non-crested chickens representing 214 populations. The mutation causes ectopic expression of at least five closely linked HOXC genes, including HOXC10, in cranial skin of crested chickens. The result is consistent with the interpretation that the crest feathers are caused by an altered body region identity. The upregulated HOXC gene expression is expanded to skull tissue of Polish chickens showing a large crest often associated with cerebral hernia, but not in Silkie chickens characterized by a small crest, both homozygous for the duplication. Thus, the 197 bp duplication is required for the development of a large crest and susceptibility to cerebral hernia because only crested chicken show this malformation. However, this mutation is not sufficient to cause herniation because this malformation is not present in breeds with a small crest, like Silkie chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Li
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.,Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Mi-Ok Lee
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Brian W Davis
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Shu-Man Hsieh Li
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.,Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Ming Chuong
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Leif Andersson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.,Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
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Mehlhorn J, Caspers S. The Effects of Domestication on the Brain and Behavior of the Chicken in the Light of Evolution. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 95:287-301. [PMID: 34044402 DOI: 10.1159/000516787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The avian class is characterized by particularly strong variability in their domesticated species. With more than 250 breeds and highly efficient commercial lines, domestic chickens represent the outcome of a really long period of artificial selection. One characteristic of domestication is the alterations in brain size and brain composition. The influence of domestication on brain morphology has been reviewed in the past, but mostly with a focus on mammals. Studies on avian species have seldom been taken into account. In this review, we would like to give an overview about the changes and variations in (brain) morphology and behavior in the domestic chicken, taking into consideration the constraints of evolutionary theory and the sense or nonsense of excessive artificial selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Mehlhorn
- Institute for Anatomy I, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Svenja Caspers
- Institute for Anatomy I, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Jakobsen L, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Juhl PM, Elemans CPH. How Loud Can you go? Physical and Physiological Constraints to Producing High Sound Pressures in Animal Vocalizations. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.657254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Sound is vital for communication and navigation across the animal kingdom and sound communication is unrivaled in accuracy and information richness over long distances both in air and water. The source level (SL) of the sound is a key factor in determining the range at which animals can communicate and the range at which echolocators can operate their biosonar. Here we compile, standardize and compare measurements of the loudest animals both in air and water. In air we find a remarkable similarity in the highest SLs produced across the different taxa. Within all taxa we find species that produce sound above 100 dBpeak re 20 μPa at 1 m, and a few bird and mammal species have SLs as high as 125 dBpeak re 20 μPa at 1 m. We next used pulsating sphere and piston models to estimate the maximum sound pressures generated in the radiated sound field. These data suggest that the loudest species within all taxa converge upon maximum pressures of 140–150 dBpeak re 20 μPa in air. In water, the toothed whales produce by far the loudest SLs up to 240 dBpeak re 1 μPa at 1 m. We discuss possible physical limitations to the production, radiation and propagation of high sound pressures. Furthermore, we discuss physiological limitations to the wide variety of sound generating mechanisms that have evolved in air and water of which many are still not well-understood or even unknown. We propose that in air, non-linear sound propagation forms a limit to producing louder sounds. While non-linear sound propagation may play a role in water as well, both sperm whale and pistol shrimp reach another physical limit of sound production, the cavitation limit in water. Taken together, our data suggests that both in air and water, animals evolved that produce sound so loud that they are pushing against physical rather than physiological limits of sound production, radiation and propagation.
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Sexual Dimorphism for Coping Styles Complements Traditional Methods for Sex Determination in a Multivariety Endangered Hen Breed. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9121165. [PMID: 31861237 PMCID: PMC6941311 DOI: 10.3390/ani9121165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Early determination of sex of poultry specimens plays a major role in the design and implementation of conservation programs for endangered avian species. This information can be used to tailor noninvasive early specific models to determine sex, fitting the characteristics of local poultry populations, as traditional methods may not be effective given the implicit diversity of local breeds and their varieties or strains. The English method, down feather coloration, wing fan, and behavior/coping styles displayed by the individuals can be used to accurately sort animals according to their sex, regardless of the variety of the individuals. Abstract Sex determination is key to designing endangered poultry population conservation and breeding programs when sex distribution departs from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. A total of 112 Utrerana chickens (28 per variety, partridge, black, white, and franciscan) were selected for hatching day sexing. Sex assignation was performed through 10 methods. Three sex assignment criteria comprised criteria found in literature, opposite criteria to that in the literature, and composite criteria combining methods reporting the highest predictive success from the previous ones. This study aims to determine which method combinations may more successfully determine sex across the four varieties of Utrerana endangered hen breed to tailor noninvasive early specific models to determine sex in local chicken populations. Although the explanatory power of the three assignation criteria is equal (75%), assignation criteria 2 resulted to be the most efficient as it correctly assigns males more frequently. Only methods 3 (English method), 5 (general down feathers coloration), 7 (wing fan), and 10 (behavior/coping styles) reported significant differences regardless of the variety, hence, are appropriate for early sexing. Sex confirmation was performed at 1.5 months old. Identifying sex proportions enhances genetic management tasks in endangered populations, complementing more standardized techniques, which may result inefficient given the implicit diversity found in local populations.
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Rizzi C. Growth and slaughtering performance, carcase fleshiness and meat quality according to the plumage colour in Padovana male chickens slaughtered at 18 weeks of age. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/1828051x.2018.1532823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Rizzi
- Dipartimento di Agronomia, Animali, Alimenti, Risorse naturali e Ambiente, University of Padua, Legnaro (Padova), Italy
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