Minimizing kinship in captive breeding programs

Montgomery, Margaret E.; Ballou, Jonathan D.; Nurthen, Roderick K.; England, Phillip R.; Briscoe, David A.; Frankham, Richard

doi:10.1002/(sici)1098-2361(1997)16:5<377::aid-zoo1>3.0.co;2-7

Cited by 111 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…Kimura and Crow (1963) suggested MAI. It is interesting that MAI within flocks is proven not to be always the most efficient way to reduce inbreeding (Montgomery et al, 1997). Sanchez et al (2003) investigated a number of schemes whereby each animal is replaced in the next generation by one offspring only.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An effective rotational mating scheme for inbreeding reduction in captive populations illustrated by the rare sheep breed Kempisch Heideschaap

Windig

Kaal

2008

Animal

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Within breeds and other captive populations, the risk of high inbreeding rates and loss of diversity can be high within (small) herds or subpopulations. When exchange of animals between different subpopulations is organised according to a rotational mating scheme, inbreeding rates can be restricted. Two such schemes, a breeding circle and a maximum avoidance of inbreeding scheme, are compared. In a breeding circle, flocks are organised in a circle where each flock serves as a donor flock for another flock, and the same donor-recipient combination is used in each breeding season. In the maximum inbreeding avoidance scheme, donor-recipient combinations change each year so that the use of the same combination is postponed as long as possible. Data from the Kempisch Heideschaap were used with computer simulations to determine the long-term effects of different breeding schemes. Without exchanging rams between flocks, high inbreeding rates (.1.5% per year) occurred. Both rotational mating schemes reduced inbreeding rates to on average 0.16% per year and variation across flocks in inbreeding rates, caused by differences in flock size, almost disappeared. Inbreeding rates with maximum inbreeding avoidance were more variable than with a breeding circle. Moreover, a breeding circle is easier to implement and operate. Breeding circles are thus efficient and flexible and can also be efficient for other captive populations, such as zoo populations of endangered wild species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An effective rotational mating scheme for inbreeding reduction in captive populations illustrated by the rare sheep breed Kempisch Heideschaap

Windig

Kaal

2008

Animal

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“…Mean kinship has outperformed other measures in terms of heterozygosity and allelic diversity retention and inbreeding minimization, as shown theoretically through simulations (Ballou and Lacy 1995, Toro 2000 and by experimental evidence in fruit flies (Drosophila spp. ; Montgomery et al 1997). Although MK values are most often used to identify the genetically valuable animals in the population, they can also be used to identify those individuals whose genes are overrepresented.…”

Section: Genetic Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pedigrees and the Study of the Wild Horse Population of Assateague Island National Seashore

et al. 2010

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Recently, a number of papers have addressed the use of pedigrees in the study of wild populations, highlighting the value of pedigrees in conservation management. We used pedigrees to study the horses (Equus caballus) of Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, USA, one of a small number of free-ranging animal populations that have been the subject of long-term studies. This population grew from 28 in 1968 to 175 in 2001, causing negative impacts on the island ecosystem. To minimize these effects, an immunocontraception program was instituted, and horse numbers are slowly decreasing. However, there is concern that this program may negatively affect the genetic health of the herd. We found that although mitochondrial DNA diversity is low, nuclear diversity is comparable to that of established breeds. Using genetic data, we verified and amended maternal pedigrees that had been primarily based on behavioral data and inferred paternity using genetic data along with National Park Service records of the historic ranges of males. The resulting pedigrees enabled us to examine demography, founder contributions, rates of inbreeding and loss of diversity over recent generations, as well as the level of kinship among horses. We then evaluated the strategy of removing individuals (using nonlethal means) with the highest mean kinship values. Although the removal strategy increased the retained diversity of founders and decreased average kinship between individuals, it disproportionately impacted sizes of the youngest age classes. Our results suggest that a combined strategy of controlled breeding and immunocontraception would be more effective than removing individuals with high mean kinships in preserving the long-term health and viability of the herd.

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“…Experiments, particularly, involving Drosophila (Loebel et al, 1992;Borlase et al, 1993, Montgomery et al, 1997 have demonstrated the advantages of equalising the contributions of individuals, rather than producing a random number of offsprings. A recent study by Rodríguez-Ramilo et al (2006) assessed the effect of conservation strategies on the accumulation of deleterious mutations.…”

Section: Practical Applications Of Pedigree-based Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The superiority of the OC method was demonstrated experimentally by Montgomery et al (1997), who showed that this strategy performed better (i.e. lower inbreeding) than did the equalisation of family size when there were differential degrees of coancestry among the potential parents.…”

Section: Practical Applications Of Pedigree-based Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of genetic diversity in small farm animal populations

Fernández

Meuwissen

Toro

et al. 2011

Animal

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Many local breeds of farm animals have small populations and, consequently, are highly endangered. The correct genetic management of such populations is crucial for their survival. Managing an animal population involves two steps: first, the individuals who will be permitted to leave descendants are to be chosen and the number offspring they will be permitted to produce has to be determined; second, the mating scheme has to be identified. Strategies dealing with the first step are directed towards the maximisation of effective population size and, therefore, act jointly on the reduction in the loss of genetic variation and in the increase of inbreeding. In this paper, the most relevant methods are summarised, including the so-called 'Optimum Contribution' methodology (contributions are proportional to the coancestry of each individual with the rest), which has been shown to be the best. Typically, this method is applied to pedigree information, but molecular marker data can be used to complete or replace the genealogy. When the population is subjected to explicit selection on any trait, the above methodology can be used by balancing the response to selection and the increase in coancestry/inbreeding. Different mating strategies also exist. Some of the mating schemes try to reduce the level of inbreeding in the short term by preventing mating between relatives. Others involve regular (circular) schemes that imply higher levels of inbreeding within populations in the short term, but demonstrate better performance in the long term. In addition, other tools such as cryopreservation and reproductive techniques aid in the management of small populations. In the future, genomic marker panels may replace the pedigree information in measuring the coancestry. The paper also includes the results of several experiments and field studies on the effectiveness and on the consequences of the use of the different strategies.

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Minimizing kinship in captive breeding programs

Cited by 111 publications

References 24 publications

An effective rotational mating scheme for inbreeding reduction in captive populations illustrated by the rare sheep breed Kempisch Heideschaap

An effective rotational mating scheme for inbreeding reduction in captive populations illustrated by the rare sheep breed Kempisch Heideschaap

Pedigrees and the Study of the Wild Horse Population of Assateague Island National Seashore

Management of genetic diversity in small farm animal populations

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