An assessment of European pig diversity using molecular markers: Partitioning of diversity among breeds

• DOI: 10.1007/s10592-005-9032-6
• Publication Date: 2005-10-24T14:13:18Z
• Authors: Louis Ollivier; Lawrence Alderson; Gustavo C. Gandini; Jean-Louis Foulley; Chris S. Haley; Ruth Joosten; Annemieke P. Rattink; Barbara Harlizius; Martien A. M. Gro...; Yves Amigues; Marie-Yvonne Boscher; Geraldine Russell; Andy Law; Roberta Davoli; Vincenzo Russo; Donato Matassino; Céline Désautés; Erling Fimland; Meena Bagga; Juan-Vicente Delgado; Jose L. Vega-Pla; Amparo M. Martinez; Antonio M. Ramos; Peter Glodek; Johann-Nikolaus M...; Graham S. Plastow; Kenneth W. Siggens; Alan L. Archibald; Denis Milan; Magali San Cristobal; Guillaume Laval; Keith Hammond; Ricardo Cardellino; Claude Chevalet
• Keywords: pig; 0301 basic medicine; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; CONSERVATION; purposes; cryopreservation; BIODIVERSITY; CONSERVATION; GENETIC MARKER; PIG; size; 630; microsatellites; amplified fragment length polymorphism; 03 medical and health sciences; PIGS; distance; biodiversity; livestock breeds; 2. Zero hunger; extinction; pig breeds; subdivided populations; conservation; pigs; animal breeding; genetic diversity; biodiversity, conservation, genetic marker, pig; crossbreds; breed differences; cattle breeds; GENETIC MARKERS; conservation genetics; molecular genetics; genetic markers; BIODIVERSITY; genetic marker; management

Genetic diversity within and between breeds (and lines) of pigs was investigated. The sample comprised 68 European domestic breeds (and lines), including 29 local breeds, 18 varieties of major international breeds, namely Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace, Large White and Pie´train, and 21 commercial lines either purebred or synthetic, to which the Chinese Meishan and a sample of European wild pig were added. On average 46 animals per breed were sampled (range 12-68). The genetic markers were microsatellites (50 loci) and AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism, 148 loci). The analysis of diversity showed that the local breeds accounted for 56% of the total European between-breed microsatellite diversity, and slightly less for AFLP, followed by commercial lines and international breeds. Conversely, the group of international breeds contributed most to within-breed diversity, followed by commercial lines and local breeds.Individual breed contributions to the overall European between- and within-breed diversity were estimated. The range in between-breed diversity contributions among the 68 breeds was 0.04-3.94% for microsatellites and 0.24-2.94% for AFLP. The within-breed diversity contributions varied very little for both types of markers, but microsatellite contributions were negatively correlated with the between-breed contributions, so care is needed in balancing the two types of contribution when making conservation decisions. By taking into account the risks of extinction of the 29 local breeds, a cryopreservation potential (priority) was estimated for each of them.