Animal最新文献

{"title":"Applying recursive modelling to assess the role of the host genome and the gut microbiome on feed efficiency in pigs","authors":"P. Nuñez ,&nbsp;G. Martinez-Boggio ,&nbsp;J. Casellas ,&nbsp;L. Varona ,&nbsp;F. Peñagaricano ,&nbsp;N. Ibáñez-Escriche","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The gut microbiome plays an important role in the performance and health of swine by providing essential nutrients and supporting the immune system. Recent studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiome can explain part of the variation observed in growth, health, and meat quality. Feed efficiency is crucial in swine production, as feed cost account for more than 60% of total production costs. This study aimed to assess the relationships between the host genome, gut microbiome, and feed efficiency in Iberian pigs raised under intensive conditions. The specific objectives were to assess the mediating effects of the gut microbiome on feed efficiency and to estimate the direct and total heritability of feed efficiency. The data set included the feed conversion ratio (<strong>FCR</strong>) and residual feed intake (<strong>RFI</strong>) from 587 Iberian pigs, as well as the 16S rRNA gut microbial abundance from 151 of those pigs raised in a nucleus of selection. We reparametrised variance components from standard bivariate mixed models into recursive models to disentangle the microbiome’s mediating effect on feed efficiency. In our models, the host genome has direct effects on both the phenotype (G→P) and the gut microbiome (G→M). Additionally, there is an indirect effect of the host genome on the phenotype mediated by the microbiome (G→M→P). We identified a total of 14 taxa with relevant effects on FCR and 16 taxa with relevant effects on RFI. We categorised the gut microbiome into groups for potential practical application in pig farming. The gut microbes with relevant causal effects and low heritability can be manipulated through management interventions, while those microbes with relevant causal effects and moderate heritability can be targeted through selective breeding. Our findings indicate that incorporating microbiome data leads to a reduction in total heritability for both FCR and RFI. This study provides new insights into the link between the gut microbiome and feed efficiency, presenting practical methods to target microbes that can be influenced through selective breeding or management interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 3","pages":"Article 101453"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The value of using multilevel performances (from recreational to international) to the genetic evaluation for show jumping performance in Warmblood horses","authors":"L. Chapard ,&nbsp;W. Gorssen ,&nbsp;R. Meyermans ,&nbsp;K. Hooyberghs ,&nbsp;N. Buys ,&nbsp;S. Janssens","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Show jumping is a popular equestrian sport that requires a unique combination of jumping capacity and rideability. It has been shown that genetics play an important role in show jumping performance that has significant implications for horse breeding programmes. This gives an important opportunity for studbooks to breed horses with the potential to perform at the highest level in show jumping competitions. However, show jumping competitions are performed at various levels (from recreational to international level) but only national competition results are used by Warmblood studbooks in most genetic evaluations due to limited access to performances at international level. Moreover, the differences between levels have not been quantified which complicates a fair comparison of horses performing at different levels. Furthermore, it is questioned whether performance data at international level is of added value for predicting genetic merit for show jumping performance. Thus, the aims of this study were twofold. First, to estimate the variance components for show jumping performance at various levels in Belgian Warmblood horses. Second, to investigate the possible effect of the inclusion of show jumping performances at international level on the genetic evaluation for show jumping performance in Belgian Warmblood horses. This research analysed 1 967 358 show jumping competition records, and 118 175 pedigree records were used in genetic analyses to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations between show jumping performance at different levels in Belgian Warmblood horses. Genetic analyses were performed including recreational or national or international level, Belgian data (recreational and national), and data of all levels combined. Pedigree data were provided by the Belgian Warmblood horse and Zangersheide studbooks. Competition records were provided by three organisations: Landelijke Rijverenigingen (recreational level), the Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation (national level) and Hippomundo (international level). Our results indicate that show jumping performance is lowly heritable at all levels (0.09–0.19) and performances at different levels are highly genetically correlated (0.63–0.93). Our research also shows that focusing on performances at international level only might be biased and is less informative to breeders. More importantly, a genetic evaluation combining performances at all 3 levels (recreational, national, and international) resulted in more accurately estimated breeding values. In conclusion, the use of multilevel performances is advised for not only Belgian but all Warmblood studbooks to provide more helpful information for breeders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 3","pages":"Article 101455"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143509899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How to assess litter uniformity in pigs: comparing metrics and investigating associations with sow and litter factors","authors":"K. Hooyberghs ,&nbsp;S. Goethals ,&nbsp;W. Gorssen ,&nbsp;L. Chapard ,&nbsp;R. Meyermans ,&nbsp;N. Aerts ,&nbsp;S. Millet ,&nbsp;S. Janssens ,&nbsp;N. Buys","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Variation in piglet BW may affect animal welfare and the environmental and economic aspects of pig production. Higher within-litter weight uniformity is often associated with improved preweaning survival. Conversely, lower within-litter uniformity is often linked to a higher prevalence of lightweight piglets that encounter various challenges during the neonatal phase. To date, there is no consensus on how to quantify within-litter uniformity in literature due to the use of various metrics. The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine metrics for assessing litter uniformity in pigs (i.e., CV, SD, range in weights, average z-score and the percentage of lightweight piglets (&lt; 0.8 kg and &lt; 1 kg)), (2) to investigate possible alternatives to weighing all piglets at birth in order to compute the CV, (3) to assess the repeatability of the above metrics per sow and (4) to explore the associations between the different uniformity metrics and factors related to sow and litter. This study used data from 732 litters of 190 hybrid sows mated with 42 Piétrain boars. In total, 11 574 piglets were weighed at birth to assess the within-litter uniformity. The CV, SD and range in weights (r = 0.81–0.91) could be used interchangeably to a certain extent. Additionally, assessing the percentage of lightweight piglets per litter might offer pig farmers a valid method to evaluate within-litter uniformity with reduced labour intensity (r = 0.33–0.70). Our results indicate that it is possible to compute the CV of birth weight of a litter without including the weight of the four lightest piglets (r = 0.80–0.95) and that 8–63% of the within-litter variation is linked to the features of each individual sow. This points to the importance of individual sow characteristics to enhance within-litter uniformity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 3","pages":"Article 101454"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic prediction of bone strength in laying hens using different sources of information","authors":"M. Sallam ,&nbsp;H. Wall ,&nbsp;P.W. Wilson ,&nbsp;B. Andersson ,&nbsp;M. Schmutz ,&nbsp;C. Benavides ,&nbsp;M. Checa ,&nbsp;E. Sanchez‑Rodriguez ,&nbsp;A.B. Rodriguez‑Navarro ,&nbsp;A. Kindmark ,&nbsp;I.C. Dunn ,&nbsp;D‑J. de Koning ,&nbsp;M. Johnsson","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bone damage in laying hens remains a significant welfare concern in the egg industry. Breeding companies rely on selective cross-breeding of purebred birds to produce commercial hybrids, which farmers raise for table-egg production. Genomic prediction is a potential tool to improve bone quality in laying hens. Because commercial layers are crossbred and kept in different environments than pure lines, the question arises whether to use within-line purebred selection or whether to use crossbred data. While selection based on pure line data is common, achieving optimal bone strength in hybrids may require incorporating hybrid data to account for heterosis and housing-specific effects. This study aims to evaluate how combining pure line and hybrid data could affect the accuracy of breeding values for bone strength. Genotypes and phenotypes were available from two types of white hybrids (Bovans White and Lohmann Selected Leghorn Classic) housed in two housing systems (furnished cages and floor housing). This resulted in four hybrid-housing combinations (n ∼ 220 for each). Tibia strength and genotypes for pure breeding lines of White Leghorn (<strong>WL</strong>, n = 947) and Rhode Island Red (<strong>RIR</strong>, n = 924) were also included. Each of the hybrid-housing combinations and pure lines was fitted separately into (1) single-trait Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (<strong>GBLUP</strong>), then simultaneously via multitrait GBLUP, (2) within hybrids across housing, (3) across hybrids within housing, (4) across hybrids and housing, (5) the latter in combination with WL and/or RIR data. Including hybrid data slightly increased the accuracy of the genomic estimated breeding value (<strong>GEBV</strong>) of other hybrids, but not that of pure lines. Pure line data increased the GEBV accuracy of hybrids over and above that of combining hybrid information. Combining data from two pure lines improved the GEBV accuracy of both. In comparison to the combination of data across lines and/or houses, combining tibia strength and BW within-lines increased tibia strength GEBV accuracy. The maximum GEBV accuracy obtained for tibia strength ranged from 0.42 to 0.65 for hybrids and from 0.63 to 0.78 for pure lines. Further study is required to test whether modelling the interactions of genotype by environment could help to breed hybrids for specific housing systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 3","pages":"Article 101452"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Values shared by journals of learned societies, associations and scientific institutions in animal science","authors":"I. Ortigues-Marty ,&nbsp;I. Louveau ,&nbsp;G. Bee ,&nbsp;J.W. Oltjen ,&nbsp;P.J. Kononoff ,&nbsp;J.A.A. McArt ,&nbsp;C. Thomas ,&nbsp;B.D. Fairchild ,&nbsp;M. Kogut ,&nbsp;E. Huff-Lonergan","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101388","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101388","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 3","pages":"Article 101388"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143538070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The functional addition of hydrochloric acid to dry feed improves mineral nutrition, growth, and reduces body deformities in juvenile stomachless tench","authors":"R. Kamiński ,&nbsp;J. Sikorska ,&nbsp;L. Polak-Juszczak ,&nbsp;J. Wolnicki","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101471","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101471","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid growth of aquaculture production is accompanied by environmental challenges, an important factor of which is the release of phosphorus into aquatic ecosystems. Phosphorus released from aquaculture contributes to the eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems. Improving the efficiency of assimilation of phosphorus contained in feed can help reduce phosphorus-induced pollution. Supplementing dry fish diets with inorganic acids appears to be a simple and cost-effective method of increasing the availability of key dietary minerals, including phosphorus, to fish. This is especially effective for species lacking a functional stomach which are unable to digest food in an acidic environment. This group includes cypriniform fish, many of which play a significant role in global aquaculture. One such species, tench (<em>Tinca tinca</em>), is an important species for aquaculture in several European countries. In this study, different doses (0.75, 1.5, and 3.0%) of hydrochloric acid were used as functional additives to commercial dry feed for tench juveniles. The 57-day experiment was carried out in recirculating aquaculture systems. The dietary additive of HCl affected the fishes’ whole-body phosphorus content and phosphorus use efficiency, as well as the content of calcium, magnesium, strontium, chromium, incidence of body deformities, growth, condition factor, and feed conversion ratio. The body contents of potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, cadmium, and lead were not affected by adding HCl. The highest share of individuals with body deformities (10%) was recorded in fish fed the basal diet. In contrast, among fish fed a diet with HCl, body deformities (2%) were found only in the group with the lowest acid dose. Moreover, the 1.5% additive of HCl to the diet gave the best results regarding fish growth rates and feed conversion. Therefore, this dietary additive of HCl was proven to effectively promote the growth of juvenile tench, protect fish from body deformities, and reduce pollution caused by phosphorus waste generated during intensive fish farming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101471"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143610598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowledge, attitude and behaviour of farmers towards the use of reproductive hormones in dairy cattle","authors":"A. Wicaksono ,&nbsp;W. Steeneveld ,&nbsp;T. van Werven ,&nbsp;H. Hogeveen ,&nbsp;B.H.P van den Borne","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101470","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101470","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reproductive hormones are regularly applied in dairy farms for cow fertility management regarding oestrus induction and treatment of reproductive diseases. The use of hormones in dairy farms needs to be explored with insight into the farmers’ knowledge and attitude to obtain their reasoning behind their behaviour of hormone use. This study aimed to determine and associate dairy farmers’ knowledge and attitude with their reproductive hormone use behaviour. An online questionnaire on reproductive hormone use was distributed by 15 veterinary practices, who distributed it to their dairy farm members through email or as an inclusion in an online newsletter. The questionnaire was responded by 188 farmers (response rate of 13%). Data on herd characteristics, knowledge, attitude and hormone use behaviour (self-reported based on a questionnaire and actual use based on hormone sales data) were collected. A knowledge score (0–10) was based on 10 objective knowledge questions. An explanatory factor analysis was conducted to identify latent structures among 19 attitude variables, resulting in four−factor variables. Several regression analyses were conducted to associate knowledge with attitude (multivariate multiple regression), knowledge and attitude with self-reported behaviour (logistic regression) and with actual hormone use (negative binomial regression). All models corrected for eight herd characteristic variables. The mean knowledge score was 5.9 ± 1.8 and 83% of the farmers indicated that they used hormones if their cows were not in oestrus after exceeding some expected days in milk. No significant association was found between knowledge and four attitude factors. However, a higher knowledge score was positively associated with hormone use behaviour (self-reported and actual hormone use). The same direction was shown for a stronger attitude on the benefits of using hormone with both higher hormone use behaviours. A stronger attitude on following the treatment protocol was positively associated with a higher actual hormone use while a stronger attitude towards non-hormonal fertility management was associated with a lower actual hormone use. In conclusion, determining farmers’ objective knowledge and attitude provided the reasoning behind their hormone use behaviour. Furthermore, obtained insights into knowledge, attitude and behaviour might therefore be beneficial for improving fertility guidelines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101470"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143621378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short communication: Evaluating laying curve models and estimating genetic parameters for egg production traits in chickens","authors":"X.Y. Gui ,&nbsp;Y.J. Li ,&nbsp;H.Y. Yu ,&nbsp;W.T. Zhang ,&nbsp;X.Q. Deng ,&nbsp;Z.F. Zhang ,&nbsp;G.H. Hua ,&nbsp;H. Li ,&nbsp;H.M. Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101465","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101465","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Qingyuan partridge chicken, a highly valued indigenous breed in China, requires optimised egg production traits to maximise economic returns. This study analysed weekly egg production data from 6 776 Qingyuan partridge chickens to compare the Grossman and Wood models in fitting individual egg-laying curves and identify the most robust model for estimating egg production persistency. Genetic parameters were estimated for three key traits: age at first egg (<strong>AFE</strong>), cumulative egg number up to 28 weeks (<strong>EN</strong>), and persistency derived from the Wood model, alongside weekly egg numbers using a random regression model. Results demonstrated the Wood model’s superior performance, achieving successful curve fits for more individuals with comparable residual SEs. Moderate heritability estimates were observed for AFE (0.37 ± 0.02) and EN (0.28 ± 0.02), while persistency exhibited lower heritability (0.09 ± 0.06). Moderate to high genetic correlations emerged between AFE and EN (−0.63 ± 0.002), AFE and persistency (−0.51 ± 0.008), and EN and persistency (0.58 ± 0.008). The heritability of weekly egg numbers from weeks 1 to 28 followed a W-shaped trajectory, ranging from 0.07 to 0.19. Notably, genetic correlations between weekly egg numbers at weeks 16–19 and EN exceeded 0.91. These findings highlight the importance of selecting for egg production persistency alongside AFE and EN. Selection based on weekly egg numbers during weeks 16–19 offers a practical alternative to selection based on cumulative egg numbers, enabling early selection in breeding programmes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101465"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143621330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary inclusion of hay of greater digestibility and water-soluble carbohydrate content increases performance of dairy cows, irrespective of concentrate type and breed","authors":"M. Coppa ,&nbsp;D. Pomiès ,&nbsp;B. Martin ,&nbsp;M. Bouchon ,&nbsp;J.P. Renaud ,&nbsp;M. Aoun ,&nbsp;B. Deroche ,&nbsp;R. Baumont","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101464","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101464","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water-soluble carbohydrate (<strong>WSC</strong>)-rich pasture or alfalfa hay, with high organic matter digestibility (<strong>OMd</strong>), are known to increase the voluntary dry matter intake (<strong>DMI</strong>) of dairy cows and diet digestibility, often resulting in higher dairy performance. However, little is known about the effect of highly digestible hays from botanically diversified natural grasslands, rich in WSC and their interactions with concentrate type on dairy performance. The present trial tested the effect on dairy cow performance of dietary inclusion of hay of greater digestibility and WSC content (high OMd, WSC-rich or low OMd, WSC-poor) from botanically diversified natural grasslands and its possible interactions with concentrate type with low or high starch degradation rate in cow breeds with different production potential. Twenty-eight Holstein and 28 Montbéliarde cows after the lactation peak were randomly allocated to four equivalent groups of 14 cows each. Cows were fed for 6 weeks with 5 kg DM/day of concentrate, 3 kg DM/day of the same 2nd cut hay and two different types of 1st cut hay <em>(ad libitum</em>). Two groups received the 1st cut hay characterised by a high (<strong>A</strong>) WSC content and high OMd and the two other groups received the 1st cut hay (<strong>B</strong>) with low WSC content and low OMd. One group per hay type received a wheat-based concentrate, with a high starch degradation rate and the other group received a maize-based concentrate, with a low starch degradation rate. Cows fed A hay diet ingested more WSC (+551 g/day) and had a higher WSC/CP ratio (+0.24) than B hay diet−fed cows. The resulting higher OM total tract apparent digestibility (+2.1%) of ingested diet improved milk yield (+1.4 kg/day), milk fat yield (+58 g/day) and feed conversion efficiency (+0.05 g milk /kg DMI) of cows fed A hay compared to B hay diets. The A hay diet also induced a lower milk urea (−91 mg/kg) and higher milk protein content (+1.1 g/kg) and yield (+59 g/day). The A hay diet milk was richer in <em>de-novo</em> synthesised fatty acids (<strong>FA</strong>) and poorer in FA derived from ruminal biohydrogenation of dietary polyunsaturated FA. The effect of concentrate type on dairy performance was not significant for either the A hay or B hay diets. Regardless of cow breed and concentrate type, including botanically diversified natural grasslands highly digestible and WSC-rich hay in cow diet improved milk yield, milk fat, and protein synthesis, and feed conversion efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101464"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143621331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic insights into racing camels: inbreeding levels and positive selection linked to athletic traits","authors":"H. Bahbahani ,&nbsp;Z. Mohammad ,&nbsp;A. Alfoudari ,&nbsp;M. Al Abri","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Racing dromedary camels are widely distributed across the Arabian Peninsula, predominantly concentrating in its northern and southeastern regions. Phenotypically, they are differentiated from other dromedary types, characterised by their smaller body size, longer limbs, reduced hump size, and thinner chest girth. In this study, the whole genome sequences of 34 racing camels were analysed to assess their genetic relationship with non-racing populations, estimate levels of inbreeding, calculate Wier and Cockerham’s fixation index (<strong>Fst</strong>), assess effective population size (<strong>N_e</strong>), and identify candidate regions with signatures of positive selection. Both racing and non-racing camels exhibited comparable levels of genomic inbreeding (F_ROH = 0.21), with no significant genetic differentiation detected between them. The estimated Fst value between the two camel groups also revealed minimal genetic differentiation. A declining trend was observed in N_e estimations of both groups over the past 5 000 years, with slightly lower recent N_e in racing camels compared to their non-racing counterparts. Signatures of positive selection in the genomes of racing camels were identified through the application of two haplotype-based statistics, namely the integrated haplotype homozygosity score (<strong>iHS</strong>) and extended haplotype homozygosity between-populations (<strong>Rsb</strong>), along with runs of homozygosity (<strong>ROH</strong>) analysis. A total of 33 regions under selection were detected via iHS, 19 via Rsb, and 24 through ROH. Candidate regions under selection were found to overlap with genes involved in diverse biological pathways potentially linked to athletic performance, e.g., musculoskeletal development, lipid metabolism, stress response, bone integrity, as well as endurance and power. These findings provide a foundation for further exploration of the racing dromedary genome, with the goal of defining variants and haplotypes that might be associated with athletic traits. Such insights could assist the development of genetically informed breeding programmes aimed at developing specialised racing dromedary lines, contributing to the broader understanding and preservation of animal athletic performance and selection in domesticated species worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101467"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}