scholarly journals Effects of selection for independent changes in two highly correlated body weight traits of mice

1977 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. McCarthy ◽  
D. P. Doolittle

SUMMARYMice were selected for high and low body weight at 5 and at 10 weeks of age. Selection was performed (1) separately for each trait, and (2) for various combinations of the two traits, using (a) independent culling levels and (b) restricted indices. Two-way selection for each trait separately gave large responses and correlated responses. Selection by independent culling levels intended to increase 5-week weight while restricting change in 10-week weight gave no demonstrable response; selection by culling levels intended to decrease 5-week weight while restricting change in 10-week weight resulted in decreases in body weights at both ages. Index selection, intended to change weight at one age while holding that at the other age constant, was generally successful. Observed responses did not conform very well with predicted responses for either index or culling levels selection. The significance of these observations in regard to the problem of selection involving restriction of traits is discussed.

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Atkins ◽  
R. Thompson

ABSTRACTA selection experiment with Scottish Blackface sheep was used to compare predicted and realized correlated responses to selection. Three lines were maintained between 1956 and 1974 in which selection was either at random or for high and low values of an index of cannon-bone length at 8 weeks of age adjusted for body weight at the same age.There was no evidence of asymmetrical responses in any trait. Selection for increased cannon-bone length, adjusted for body weight, resulted in (i) increased body weights at all ages between birth and maturity, (ii) increased reproduction rate, principally from increased litter size but also from small responses in ewe fertility and lamb survival and (iii) decreased survival of adult ewes. The realized genetic correlations were relatively small (up to 0·3) but mostly significantly different from zero, whereas base population genetic correlation estimates were very imprecise. The realized responses in reproduction rate were probably a consequence of the genetic response in body weight.


1960 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hull

Three different stocks of mice were selected for five generations for high body weight at 3, 4½, or 6 weeks of age. Changes in body weight at the three ages and in abdominal fat weight, an index of carcass composition, which occurred in the three lines were compared. It was found that the proportion of fat in the carcasses of the selected animals increased markedly in the lines selected for high 3-week weight, while in the other two lines the proportion remained the same as that in the control line.The theoretical treatment of the genetic relationship between body weights at different ages and between body weight and abdominal fat was reasonably adequate in accounting for the correlated responses actually observed.


Author(s):  
K.D. Atkins

There are few published studies on the genetics of body growth to maturity in sheep. Such information is required for choosing an optimal time of selection for body weight and to predict correlated responses to selection at all stages of an animal's lifetime. The data were derived from a randomly selected control flock of Scottish Blackface sheep on a hard heather hill research farm in Peeblesshire, Scotland. The objectives of the analysis were to estimate the heritability of body weight at various ages between birth and maturity, and the genetic correlations between these weights.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-214
Author(s):  
Violeta Caro-Petrovic ◽  
Milan Petrovic ◽  
Dragana Ruzic-Muslic ◽  
Nevena Maksimovic ◽  
Irina Sycheva ◽  
...  

Records of female lambs and their parents of the Mis sheep breed have used. All animals are approximately have weaned at 90 days of age. Descriptive statistics, paired sample test, paired differences, measures of association, correlations and regression of body weights between female lambs and their parents have done. A complementary least body weights at 30 days and weaning between dams and lambs but utmost weight at 30 days, the lambs were higher while at weaning, the dams had higher weight. It can observe that the averages on body weights the rams were the highest, followed by lambs and the lowest the dams? body weights. The coefficient of determination of R2 varies from low to high, indicating that the lamb's body weight has more influenced by other factors that we have not considered. There were significant correlations between lamb body weight at birth and sire/dam body weight at birth. The results showed highly significant correlations of lamb's body weight at 30 days with dams but with sires, positive and very low. There had positive but no significant correlation between lamb body weight at weaning and sire body weight at weaning. Lamb body weight at weaning and dam body weight at weaning are highly correlated.


1996 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. S. Al-Nakib ◽  
E. S. S. Al-Shukaily ◽  
S. S. S. Al-Hanai ◽  
S. A. M. Al-Nabhani

SUMMARYAs part of a long-term breeding programme aimed at improving the performance of Omani goats and sheep, a 3-year performance trial was carried out between 1991 and 1993 to evaluate the reproductive and productive performance of three breeds of goat: Batinah (BT), Dhofari (DH) and Jabal Akhdar (JA), and one breed of local Omani sheep. In each year, flushing started on 1 September, mating started on 1 October and terminated on 15 November, and the kidding/lambing season started on average on 1 March. Kids and lambs were weaned at c. 3 months of age, then put on a 3-month performance test, fed on concentrates ad libitum and Rhodes grass hay. Some 3706 dam and 3011 progeny performance records were available over a 3-year period from 1991 to 1993. Ewes were lighter in body weight and lower in litter size weaned but higher in fertility than the does. Although the lambs had lighter birth weights, they were heavier at weaning and at 6 months of age. Among the goats, the DH does had lighter body weight but higher litter size weaned than both the BT and the JA goats. DH kids were somewhat lighter at birth, weaning and 6-month body weights than the other two breeds but had higher survival.The sheep had higher output per ewe exposed (3·28 kg, 33%) and per ewe lambed (3·27 kg, 26%) and were 35% more efficient in production than the goats. Although the DH goats had a lower output per doe exposed than the BT and JA goats (0·9 kg, 9 % and 0·76 kg, 7% respectively) and per doe kidded (1·11 kg, 9% and 1·29 kg, 10%), they had higher efficiency of production than both BT (0·05 units, 6%) and JA (0·11 units, 14%).In view of these results, attention should be paid to the sheep industry through the introduction of promotion schemes. The DH goats would be even more useful if involved in a crossbreeding scheme and the JA goats would benefit from selection for maternal care.


1970 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 955 ◽  
Author(s):  
HN Turner ◽  
MG Brooker ◽  
CHS Dolling

Direct and correlated responses are reported for 10 traits in eight pairs of lines under selection for high and low values of single characteristics : clean wool weight per head, clean wool weight per unit skin area (measured only in the groups under selection for it), body weight, wrinkle score, fibre number per unit skin area (adjusted for body weight), fibre diameter, staple length, and percentage clean yield. All groups showed overall divergence in the character under selection, though response was not always symmetrical, and in two cases (long staple and low fibre number) there was no continuing response after the initial response to extreme selection of the base parents. In all except one case, whenever previous estimates of genetic correlation were at the level of 0.2 or higher, correlated responses were in the predicted direction, though not always symmetrical in magnitude. The exception was a previously reported negative correlation between fibre number and staple length, which was not exhibited under selection for either character. Where two characters of a pair were under selection, reciprocal responses agreed in sign; magnitude will be examined in a later paper. Wool per unit area was shown to have a greater influence on clean wool weight than that of surface area, with staple length on this occasion being the most important component of wool per unit area. Reasons for an apparent decrease in the relative importance of fibre number are discussed. Three other points of importance in sheep breeding are again emphasized by these results : 1. Crimp in several pairs of groups was a poor indicator of fibre diameter. 2. Increases in clean wool weight were associated with falls in crimp number, even though fibre diameter actually became finer; diameter, not crimp, should therefore be used as a guide to wool quality. 3. The absence of genetic correlations DL and NL indicates that selection can be for high N (fibre number) with high L (staple length) and low D (fibre diameter) -in other words, a desirable fleece -with no impeding genetic correlations.


1969 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Nay ◽  
RH Hayman

Phenotypic correlations between body weight, follicle characters, and fleece characters have been investigated in a flock of 95 fine-wool non-Peppin Merino wethers, reared in the same locality under the same conditions. The results indicated that three follicle characters, follicle chord, follicle depth, and the index of follicle bending, were independent of body weight. It was found, in agreement with the results of other workers, that body weight was highly correlated with both greasy and clean wool weights (r = 0.53 and 0.51 respectively). It was also found that follicle characters were significantly correlated with most of the fleece characters which contribute to the clean fleece weight per unit area of skin. The correlation coefficient of wool weight per unit area of skin with follicle chord was 0.33, with follicle depth 0.28, and with follicle bending index –0.35. The follicle characters were also correlated with greasy and clean fleece weights. Crimp number per inch was predicted for individual animals by using as criterion the length of the follicle chord. A highly significant correlation coefficient of 0.67 was obtained between predicted and observed crimp number. The close relationship between crimp chord and follicle chord reported in previous work was confirmed. It is suggested that simultaneous selection for body weight and certain follicle characters may have an additive effect on the production of clean wool. It is also suggested that the genetic antagonism between clean wool weight and number of crimps per inch can be explained in anatomical terms.


1993 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
PF Woodall ◽  
P Pavlov ◽  
LK Tolley

The dimensions of testes, epididymides and spermatozoa of Australian dingoes (Canis familiaris dingo) and a sample of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris familiaris), chosen to lie within the range of dingo body weights, were compared. There were no significant differences for body weight or testis weight but total epididymal weight, the caput + corpus weights and sperm numbers in the cauda epididymidis were significantly larger in dogs. Dimensions of the spermatozoa were similar for dogs and dingoes except for a small but significantly larger head length in dingoes. Seminiferous tubule diameters were significantly larger in dingoes and epididymal tubule diameters were similar in dogs and dingoes except for significantly wider tubules in the cauda of dogs. The estimated length of tubules in the total epididymis and in the cauda was significantly greater in dogs than in dingoes. Greater size of the epididymis and especially of the cauda epididymidis probably reflect selection for larger sperm stores in free-ranging domestic dogs where there is a greater chance of intermale sperm competition. Two possible hybrids (determined by skull morphometry) were intermediate between dogs and dingoes for some of these dimensions.


1972 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Buvanendran ◽  
E. S. Merritt

The correlated responses in egg quality traits to selection for high early body weight were studied in seven meat-type populations comprising five selected and two control lines. Traits studied were specific gravity, egg weight, albumen height, Haugh units, shell color, egg shape, shell roughness, wrinkling and asymmetry, and incidence of blood spots, meat spots and double yolks. Significant (P < 0.05 or < 0.01) correlated changes, as determined by the regression of correlated response (egg quality traits) on primary response (body weight), were obtained for egg weight, albumen height, Haugh units, asymmetry of shell and blood spots. All but blood spots increased with selection for high body weight. Shell color showed a consistent trend towards a darker color with increasing body weight. Scores for roughness of shell and, with one minor exception, the incidence of double yolks, also showed consistent trends (positive) with increasing body weight. Estimates of genetic correlations, derived directly from intra-line genetic analyses of the six pedigreed populations in the experiment, were in most cases in reasonable agreement with realized estimates.


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