Monitoring of genetic diversity in autochthonous Czech poultry breeds assessed by genealogical data

Abstract

Czech local poultry breeds face high risks of extinction. Because these populations are closed, they are more likely to lose genetic diversity. The aim of this analysis was to determine the loss of genetic diversity in three Czech autochthonous poultry breeds. Pedigree data from a total of 1 932 Czech Gold Speckled Hens, 325 Czech White Geese and 111 Czech Crested Geese registered in studbooks between 2000 and 2018 were evaluated. Data were analysed to determine the major factors that affect the genetic variability of these breeds. The average numbers of equivalent complete generations ranged from 2.53 to 4.82. The effective numbers of founders were from 29 to 59, representing from 43% to 62% of the total number of founders. The effective number of ancestors was estimated in the range of 21 to 41. The average inbreeding coefficient and relatedness coefficient (in parentheses) for the reference populations were 2.0% (6.5%), 1.9% (4.9%) and 2.1% (9.3%), respectively. The results showed that the effective population size derived from the rate of inbreeding ranged from 46 to 108 and if derived from the rate of coancestry it ranged from 35 to 74. With regard to these results, the analysed breeds showed a high probability of allele loss and consequent loss of genetic diversity.

Temporal Trends in Performance and Hatchability Traits of Eight Strains of Hens Covered by the Gene Pool Protection Programme in Poland

“…Analysis of the estimates for effective population size (Ne) and inbreeding coefficient (Fx) indicates that sex ratio in the flocks (1 ♂: 8 -10♀) and the rotational mating system used in the four bird groups are effective in protecting the analysed hen populations from inbreeding increase, which is consistent with the earlier observations of Cywa-Benko (2002), Calik (2008) and Krawczyk and Calik (2010), who reported comparable values of Ne and Fx. Vostrý et al (2020) investigated the Czech population of Czech Gold Speckled hens and estimated the inbreeding coefficient in this population to be low (Fx=0.021). Spalona et al (2007), who studied 41 local breed of hens raised in Europe, noted much higher variation in the inbreeding coefficient (Fx) than in our study, but for half of the analysed population this parameter ranged from 0.20 to 0.71%.…”

“…In the study by Abdelqader et al (2007) with hen populations maintained in Jordania, flock inbreeding coefficient was very high at 5.5%. As underlined by Szwaczkowski (2003) and Vostrý et al (2020), inbreeding is considered a constraint on production due to its negative effect on health and productivity of the hens.…”

“…Over the 10 generations, the strains examined showed high survival and hatchability parameters during both rearing and production periods. The currently used random mating system proved effective to prevent provides an increasing number of studies with local poultry breeds all over the world, exploring the genetic structure, evaluating different methods to improve the productivity of these populations, and showing the results of crossing with other breeds (Boichard et al, 1997;Caballero and Toro, 2000;Woelders et al, 2006;Van Marle-Köster et al, 2008;Marquez et al, 2010;Mtileni et al 2012;Pham et al, 2016;Vostrý et al, 2020). The findings of Cervantes et al (2011) demonstrate that small populations of the native breeds of animals maintained without foreign blood should be genetically tested to monitor the effective population size and the degree of inbreeding.…”

Influence of Genotype on Productivity and Egg Quality of Three Hen Strains Included in a Biodiversity Program

“…Meanwhile, the preservation of native poultry breeds is of great importance both in highly developed countries, where it is part of the policy recommendations for sustainable agricultural development, and in underdeveloped countries, where the rearing of native poultry dominates [1,8]. Hence, in recent years, we have seen an increasing number of studies on the characteristics of native and locally adapted breeds of hens from different parts of the world [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The authors especially point out the necessity of monitoring the effective population size and the inbreeding level of small, closed populations of hens, and emphasize that the maintenance of these parameters at an appropriate level determines their good health and productivity and allows assessing the effectiveness of adopted conservation programs.…”

Origin and exterior features analysis of geese breeds genealogical groups in Russian gene pool herd

“…Preservation of poultry genetic resources has long been the global problem and, first of all, it should be based on the study of their inherent characteristics [2][3][4]. The main goal of breeding should not be the selection of the best genotypes, but the reproduction of the existing ones without losing their inherent qualities [5][6][7].…”