Baa, Baa, Black Sheep: Color and Chromatography

The Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (BMP15) gene is known to have multiple single-nucleotide polymorphism sites associated with sheep fecundity. This study used gene sequence analysis and mutation detection assays for BMP15 by using 205 blood samples of ewes with known lambing records. Sequence analysis showed that mutation B1 missed the CTT base in exon 1 at positions 28–30, leading to a leucine deletion in the BMP15 protein. Litter size of ewes differed significantly between BB and B+ genotypes of B1 (p < 0.05); however, the differences between wild genotype (++) and homozygous (BB) or wild genotype (++) and heterozygous (B+) were not significant (p > 0.05). Another mutation, T755C, is a T-to-C base change at position 755 of exon 2, resulting in leucine replacement by proline at this position of the BMP15 protein (p.L252P). Two genotypes were identified in the flock: heterozygous (E+) and wild-type genotype (++). Ewes with heterozygous (E+) p.L252P had significantly larger litter sizes than those with the wild-type genotype (p < 0.05). Comprehensive analysis suggests that p.L252P is a mutation that affects fecundity in Cele black sheep.

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(Im)moral Symbols and (Im)moral Deeds: Defensive Strategies for Coping with Historical Transgressions of Group Heroes and Villains

Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology ◽

10.1177/1834490921991437 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 183449092199143

Author(s):

Jovan Ivanović ◽

Iris Žeželj ◽

Charis Psaltis

Keyword(s):

Collective Identity ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Educational Communication ◽

Social Identification ◽

Black Sheep ◽

Defensive Strategies ◽

Post Conflict ◽

Greek Cypriot ◽

Black Sheep Effect ◽

Group Members

In two post-conflict societies (Serbia and Cyprus), the authors investigated how people cope with in-group historical transgression when heroes and villains relevant for their collective identity are made salient in it. The authors set the events in foundational periods for Serbian (Experiment 1) and Greek Cypriot (Experiment 2) ethnic identity—that is, historical representations of the Battle of Kosovo (1389) and the Liberation Struggle (1955–1959), respectively. In both experiments, a between-subjects design was used to manipulate group membership (in-group or out-group) and representation of the salient character (hero, villain, or neutral) in fictitious but historically plausible accounts of transgressions. In Experiment 1 ( N = 225), the participants showed more moral disengagement in the case of in-group historical transgressions than in the case of identical transgressions by an out-group, while the in-group hero was rejected less than all the other historical characters. Social identification based on in-group superiority moderated both observed effects in such a manner that they were more pronounced for participants perceiving their ethnic group as superior. In Experiment 2 ( N = 136), historical transgression involving the in-group hero provoked the most moral disengagement and the least rejection of the group deviant. In-group superiority and in-group importance as distinct modes of social identification moderated these effects in such a way that they were more pronounced for high-identifying individuals. Taken together, the experiments show that the in-group hero, as a highly valued ethnic symbol, is exempt from the black sheep effect and the sanctions of critically attached group members. The authors discuss the implications of in-group heroes for political and educational communication.

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THE AMOUNT OF PIGMENTATION DEPENDING ON THE GENETICS OF THE BLACK KARAKUL

Ġylym ža̋ne bìlìm ◽

10.52578/2305-9397-2021-1-1-10-18 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 10-18

Keyword(s):

Black Sheep ◽

Blue Sheep ◽

Individual Weight ◽

Different Origins ◽

Very High

The article studies the effect of the pigmentation saturation of black karakul sheep on their heredity. The saturation of pigmentation in wool was studied in 20 rams of different origins. Among black rams obtained from one pair, the share of highly pigmented rams was 75.0%, the share of individuals with normal pigmentation was 25.0%. Among the rams obtained from brown and blue sheep, there were no individuals with very high pigmentation, and the proportion of individuals with normal pigmentation saturation was 50.0%. The study showed that the level of pigmentation in the coat of offspring depends on their origin. A high individual weight of 71.5 kg was confirmed in rams obtained from one pair. The smallest live weights of 64.8 kg and 68.4 kg were observed in individuals from colored rams. The inheritance of color and saturation of pigmentation was established in the offspring of black rams of different genotypes. Color inheritance has been studied in the offspring of black rams of different genotypes. When mating homozygous black rams with black queens, 100% of black lambs were obtained. When black rams obtained from brown sheep were mated with brown queens, 95.35% black and 4.65% brown offspring were obtained in the offspring. When mating black rams obtained from blue sheep with blue queens, 50.59% and 49.41% of offspring were obtained. In general, among lambs they are more often found with normal pigmentation, their share was 48.8-53.3%, and the share of lambs with low pigmentation saturation was 8.9-21.9%. The proportion of lambs with high pigmentation saturation -37.8% was observed in black animals from black rams. The lowest proportion of highly pigmented lambs, -30.2%, was obtained from black queens from blue sheep. At the same time, the lowest proportion of poorly saturated lambs - 8.9%, was obtained in black queens from black sheep, and the highest proportion of such lambs - 21.9%, in black queens from brown sheep.

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