scholarly journals Heritability estimates of antler and body traits in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from genomic-relatedness matrices

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidan Jamieson ◽  
Spencer J Anderson ◽  
Jérémie Fuller ◽  
Steeve D Côté ◽  
Joseph M Northrup ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Standard Errors ◽  
Response To Selection ◽  
Snp Data ◽  
Data Completion ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Anticosti Island ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Genomic Relatedness

AbstractEstimating heritability (h2) is required to predict the response to selection and is useful in species that are managed or farmed using trait information. Estimating h2 in free-ranging populations is challenging due to the need for pedigrees; genomic-relatedness matrices (GRMs) circumvent this need and can be implemented in nearly any system where phenotypic and SNP data are available. We estimated the heritability of five body and three antler traits in a free-ranging population of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada. We generated GRMs from >10,000 SNPs: dressed body mass and peroneus muscle mass had moderate h2 values of 0.49 and 0.56, respectively. Heritability in male-only antler features ranged from 0.00 to 0.51 and had high standard errors. We explored the influence of minor allele frequency and data completion filters on h2: GRMs derived from fewer SNPs had reduced h2 estimates and the relatedness coefficients significantly deviated from those generated with more SNPs. As a corollary, we discussed limitations to the application of GRMs in the wild, notably how skewed GRMs increase variance around h2 estimates. This is the first study to estimate h2 on a free-ranging population of white-tailed deer and should be informative for breeding designs and management.

scholarly journals Heritability Estimates of Antler and Body Traits in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) From Genomic-Relatedness Matrices

2020 ◽  
Vol 111 (5) ◽  
pp. 429-435
Author(s):  
Aidan Jamieson ◽  
Spencer J Anderson ◽  
Jérémie Fuller ◽  
Steeve D Côté ◽  
Joseph M Northrup ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Snp Data ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Data Completion ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Hind Foot ◽  
Anticosti Island ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Genomic Relatedness

Abstract Estimating heritability (h2) is required to predict the response to selection and is useful in species that are managed or farmed using trait information. Estimating h2 in free-ranging populations is challenging due to the need for pedigrees; genomic-relatedness matrices (GRMs) circumvent this need and can be implemented in nearly any system where phenotypic and genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data are available. We estimated the heritability of 5 body and 3 antler traits in a free-ranging population of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada. We generated classic and robust GRMs from >10,000 SNPs: hind foot length, dressed body mass, and peroneus muscle mass had high h2 values of 0.62, 0.44, and 0.55, respectively. Heritability in male-only antler features ranged from 0.07 to 0.33. We explored the influence of filtering by minor allele frequency and data completion on h2: GRMs derived from fewer SNPs had reduced h2 estimates and the relatedness coefficients significantly deviated from those generated with more SNPs. As a corollary, we discussed limitations to the application of GRMs in the wild, notably how skewed GRMs, specifically many unrelated individuals, can increase variance around h2 estimates. This is the first study to estimate h2 on a free-ranging population of white-tailed deer and should be informative for breeding designs and management as these traits could respond to selection.

scholarly journals Inheritance of Scottish-type resistance to warfarin in the Norway rat

1976 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Greaves ◽  
P. B. Ayres
Keyword(s):  
Resistance Gene ◽  
Rattus Norvegicus ◽  
Major Gene ◽  
Inheritance Of Resistance ◽  
Response To Selection ◽  
Norway Rat ◽  
Group I ◽  
Wild Rat ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Warfarin Resistance

SUMMARYThe inheritance of resistance to the rodenticide, warfarin, in the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, derived from a wild rat population in Scotland was studied in the backcross, intercross and testcross. The resistance was found to be due to a major gene with about the same map position in Linkage Group I as the warfarin-resistance gene, Rw2, which occurs in the wild rat population in Wales. In heterozygotes, the Scottish resistance gene, unlike the Welsh gene, is incompletely penetrant in expression, though the penetrance was found to increase markedly in response to selection. Differences between the Scottish and Welsh types of resistance suggest that the two resistance genes are allelic.

scholarly journals Rapid Detection of Serum Antibody by Dual-Path Platform VetTB Assay in White-Tailed Deer Infected with Mycobacterium bovis

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 907-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantin P. Lyashchenko ◽  
Rena Greenwald ◽  
Javan Esfandiari ◽  
Daniel J. O'Brien ◽  
Stephen M. Schmitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Mycobacterium Bovis ◽  
Skin Testing ◽  
Serum Antibody ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Antibody Detection ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Content Type ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Free Ranging

ABSTRACTBovine tuberculosis (TB) in cervids remains a significant problem affecting farmed herds and wild populations. Traditional skin testing has serious limitations in certain species, whereas emerging serological assays showed promising diagnostic performance. The recently developed immunochromatographic dual-path platform (DPP) VetTB assay has two antigen bands, T1 (MPB83 protein) and T2 (CFP10/ESAT-6 fusion protein), for antibody detection. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of this test by using serum samples collected from groups of white-tailed deer experimentally inoculated withMycobacterium bovis,M. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis, orM. bovisBCG Pasteur. In addition, we used serum samples from farmed white-tailed deer in herds with no history of TB, as well as from free-ranging white-tailed deer culled during field surveillance studies performed in Michigan known to have bovine TB in the wild deer population. The DPP VetTB assay detected antibody responses in 58.1% of experimentally infected animals within 8 to 16 weeks postinoculation and in 71.9% of naturally infected deer, resulting in an estimated test sensitivity of 65.1% and a specificity of 97.8%. The higher seroreactivity found in deer with naturally acquiredM. bovisinfection was associated with an increased frequency of antibody responses to the ESAT-6 and CFP10 proteins, resulting in a greater contribution of these antigens, in addition to MPB83, to the detection of seropositive animals, compared with experimentalM. bovisinfection. Deer experimentally inoculated with eitherM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisorM. bovisBCG Pasteur did not produce cross-reactive antibodies that could be detected by the DPP VetTB assay. The present findings demonstrate the relatively high diagnostic accuracy of the DPP VetTB test for white-tailed deer, especially in the detection of naturally infected animals.

scholarly journals RAD‐sequencing for estimating genomic relatedness matrix‐based heritability in the wild: A case study in roe deer

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1205-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Gervais ◽  
Charles Perrier ◽  
Maria Bernard ◽  
Joël Merlet ◽  
Josephine M. Pemberton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Roe Deer ◽  
Rad Sequencing ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Genomic Relatedness

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Captive and Free-ranging, White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

2009 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ray Waters ◽  
Brian J. Nonnecke ◽  
Samantha E. J. Gibbs ◽  
Michael J. Yabsley ◽  
Stephen M. Schmitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Disease ◽  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Additional Research ◽  
Serum Concentrations ◽  
Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
25 Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Low Serum

Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were determined for free-ranging and captive white-tailed deer (WTD). Effects of gender, season, and age on 25(OH)D concentrations were determined as well as comparisons to concentrations in serum from captive reindeer and elk. Seasonal variations in 25(OH)D concentrations were detected for both captive and free-ranging WTD with greatest concentrations detected in August/September (~ 25 ng/mL) and lowest concentrations in February (~ 5 – 10 ng/mL). Free-ranging WTD < 1 year of age had lower 25(OH)D concentrations (~ 6 ng/mL) than did free-ranging WTD > 1 year of age (~ 12 ng/mL). For captive WTD fawns, 25(OH)D concentrations increased from 1 to 9 days of age (exceeding 100 ng/mL) and then steadily declined to ~ 10 ng/mL by 3 months of age. In general, differences in 25(OH)D concentrations based on gender were not detected. 25(OH)D concentrations in captive WTD did not differ from that of captive reindeer; yet, 25(OH)D concentrations were lower in WTD than in captive elk. Additional research is necessary to determine if low serum 25(OH)D concentrations during the winter or pre-weaning period are associated with increased rates of infectious and metabolic disease.

COMPARISON OF PREDICTED AND OBSERVED RESPONSES TO SELECTION FOR YIELD IN WHEAT

1971 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. PESEK ◽  
R. J. BAKER
Keyword(s):  
Triticum Aestivum ◽  
Common Wheat ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Standard Errors ◽  
Selection Differential ◽  
Response To Selection ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Heritability Estimates

A simple method of calculating standard errors of heritability estimates is presented. The method is then used to conclude that observed response to selection for yield in five different populations of common wheat, Triticum aestivum L., agreed with the response predicted by multiplying estimates of heritability by the selection differential. It is suggested that a comparison of observed and predicted responses is not the best way to test the theory used in predicting response to selection.

Genetic aspects of appetite and feed choice in animals

1992 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Domestic Pig ◽  
Domesticated Animals ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Nesting Behaviour ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Complex Genome

Body composition in wild animals is regulated within a band that encompasses variations due to seasonal food supply and physiological state (e.g. that of the reproducing, lactating female and the growing juvenile). This body composition is characteristic of the genotype and is notable for the avoidance of obesity (Pitts & Bullard 1968). Urgent behavioural responses are also invoked to minimize weight loss. Figure 1 illustrates this homeostasis diagrammatically for the non-lactating, mature animal.In this integrated complex, both food intake (quantity) and diet choice (quality) play a major role in achieving the required balance between food-energy intake and ‘net output’ of energy in its various forms such as activity, growth, lactation and change in body reserves. The development of such a system, through evolution, to achieve optimum reproductive fitness in a given environment, is consistent with the theory of optimal foraging which is characteristic of many animals in the wild. Newman (1991) has used such an approach in modelling diet selection by sheep.Domesticated animals have inherited the complex genome of their progenitors, albeit modified in certain respects through natural and artificial selection, in their new circumstances. Many aspects of the physiology and behaviour of the domesticated animal still relate to the environment in which they evolved. For example Jensen & Redbo (1987) have demonstrated the complex nesting behaviour retained by the modern domestic pig, under free ranging conditions similar to those of its wild progenitor.Two major non-genetic factors have emerged as major influences on the appetite of domesticated animals and man in modern times.

scholarly journals Development and application of two multiplex real-time PCR assays for detection and speciation of bacterial pathogens in the koala

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndal S. Hulse ◽  
Danica Hickey ◽  
Jessica M. Mitchell ◽  
Kenneth W. Beagley ◽  
William Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Bacterial Pathogens ◽  
Simultaneous Detection ◽  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Labeled Probe ◽  
Free Ranging

Infectious diseases have contributed to the decline in the health of koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus) populations in the wild in some regions of Australia. Herein we report the development and validation of 2 multiplex real-time PCR (rtPCR) panels for the simultaneous detection of Mycoplasma spp., Ureaplasma spp., Bordetella bronchiseptica, and Chlamydia, including speciation and quantification of Chlamydia, in ocular, reproductive, and nasal swab samples in addition to semen and male urogenital and reproductive tissues, from koalas. Each rtPCR panel was developed for use as a single-tube reaction using pathogen-specific primers and fluorescently labeled probe sets. DNA extracted from reference strains and isolates was used for validation of sequence gene targets for the multiplex rtPCR panels. Each panel was shown to be sensitive and specific in detecting and differentiating the bacterial pathogens. The multiplex rtPCR panels were used to screen clinical samples from free-ranging and hospitalized koalas for multiple pathogens simultaneously. The multiplex rtPCR will improve turnaround time compared to individual-pathogen rtPCR methods used, to date, for confirmation of diagnosis and will provide the wildlife clinician with the ability to make treatment decisions more rapidly.

scholarly journals How tall is an elephant? Two methods for estimating elephant height

Web Ecology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Della Rocca
Keyword(s):  
Field Studies ◽  
Height Distribution ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Linear Distance ◽  
Elephant Population ◽  
Photo Camera ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Absolute Height ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Geometric Formula

Abstract. Shoulder height is a reliable indicator of age for African elephants (Loxodonta africana), and is therefore an important parameter to be recorded in field studies of population ecology of these pachyderms. However, it can be somewhat difficult to estimate with precision the shoulder height of free-ranging elephants because of several reasons, including the presence of drops and vegetation cover and the potential dangerousness of approaching them in the wild. Here I test two alternative models for estimating shoulder height of elephants. In both models, the equipment needed to generate the height estimates is minimal, and include a telemeter and a digital photo-camera furnished with an ×16 zoom. The models are based respectively on a linear regression approach and on a geometric formula approach, and put into a relationship the linear distance between the observer and the animal, the number of pixels of an elephant silhouette as taken from digital photos, and the absolute height of the animal. Both methods proved to have a very small measurement error, and were thus reliable for field estimates of elephant shoulder heights. The model based on a geometric formula was used to estimate the shoulder height distribution of an elephant population in a savannah region of West Africa (Zakouma National Park, Chad). I demonstrated that Zakouma elephants were among the tallest populations in Africa, with growth rates being highest throughout the first five years of life.

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