Use of geographic information system tools to predict animal breed suitability for different agro-ecological zones

Abstract

Predicting breed-specific environmental suitability has been problematic in livestock production. Native breeds have low productivity but are thought to be more robust to perform under local conditions than exotic breeds. Attempts to introduce genetically improved exotic breeds are generally unsuccessful, mainly due to the antagonistic environmental conditions. Knowledge of the environmental conditions that are shaping the breed would be needed to determine its suitability to different locations. Here, we present a methodology to predict the suitability of breeds for different agro-ecological zones using Geographic Information Systems tools and predictive habitat distribution models. This methodology was tested on the current distribution of two introduced chicken breeds in Ethiopia: the Koekoek, originally from South Africa, and the Fayoumi, originally from Egypt. Cross-validation results show this methodology to be effective in predicting breed suitability for specific environmental conditions. Furthermore, the model predicts suitable areas of the country where the breeds could be introduced. The specific climatic parameters that explained the potential distribution of each of the breeds were similar to the environment from which the breeds originated. This novel methodology finds application in livestock programs, allowing for a more informed decision when designing breeding programs and introduction programs, and increases our understanding of the role of the environment in livestock productivity.

Integrated Environmental and Genomic Analysis Reveals the Drivers of Local Adaptation in African Indigenous Chickens

“…Along with the agro-climatic data, any other environmental variable (e.g., epidemiological) may be included ( Vajana et al 2018 ). Habitat suitability mapping can be a useful approach for predicting suitable areas for introducing exotic breeds ( Lozano-Jaramillo et al 2019 ) or for predicting the impact of climatic change on livestock habitats. These can be extremely valuable in conservation of important livestock genetic resources to meet future demand.…”

Species and Phenotypic Distribution Models Reveal Population Differentiation in Ethiopian Indigenous Chickens

“…Species distribution models (SDMs), implemented in MaxEnt ( Phillips et al, 2006 ) and similar software, predict distribution of a species based on presence-only data, estimate the contribution of environmental variables, and help identify suitable habitats in current and future environments. Gheyas et al (2021) and Lozano-Jaramillo M. et al (2019) applied SDMs to produce suitability maps of Ethiopian chickens and identify important environmental variables associated with habitat suitability in chickens, without relating ecological differences with phenotypic variation among study populations. When used alone, SDMs treat a species as an evolutionarily homogenous entity and fail to consider possible population differences pertaining to local adaptation ( Hampe, 2004 ).…”

Local breeds and pastoral farming on the North Mediterranean shore: a univocal coevolution? An example of dairy sheep farming systems in Corsica (France) and Thessaly (Greece)

“…The data collected through interviews should be compared with the physiological and behavioural responses of highly productive sheep breeds and their crosses in pastoral farming systems in North Mediterranean countries. Methods to predict breeds' suitability to environmental conditions are proposed, in this sense, by (Lozano-Jaramillo et al, 2018) and (Marshall, 2014), but these concern South Mediterranean or tropical systems. In the case of North Mediterranean countries, there are fewer pastoral components and the climatic conditions are milder, but the need for adaptive potential of the animals to similar environments is increasing in importance due to intensifying climatic changes (Hoffman, 2013).…”