the Alentejana cattle breed in Portugal

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Aug 20, 2007 - The authors thank the “Associação dos Criadores de Bovinos da Raça Alentejana” for providing the data used in this study. 2. Corresponding ...
Indicators of genetic erosion in an endangered population: the Alentejana cattle breed in Portugal N. Carolino and L. T. Gama J Anim Sci published online Aug 20, 2007;

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Journal of Animal Science

Running head: Genetic erosion in Alentejana cattle

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Indicators of genetic erosion in an endangered population:

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the Alentejana cattle breed in Portugal1

7 8 9 N. Carolino* and L. T. Gama *

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Estação Zootécnica Nacional, Fonte Boa, 2005-048 Vale de Santarém, Portugal

Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, 1300 Lisboa, Portugal

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The authors thank the “Associação dos Criadores de Bovinos da Raça Alentejana” for

providing the data used in this study. 2

Corresponding author: [email protected]; Telephone: +351-243767382; Fax:

+351-243767307

1 Downloaded from jas.fass.org by onas Maydoi:10.2527/jas.2007-0148 14, 2011. Published Online First on August 20, 2007

Journal of Animal Science

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ABSTRACT: A study was conducted to characterize genetic diversity in the Alentejana breed of

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cattle based on its demographic trends and to investigate the major factors affecting genetic

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erosion in this breed. Herdbook information collected between 1940 and 2004, including

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pedigree records on 100,562 animals in 155 herds, was used to estimate demographic

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parameters. The mean generation intervals were 6.0 ± 2.4 yr and 6.8 ± 3.2 yr for sires and dams

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of calves, respectively. Average inbreeding increased steadily over the period analyzed, with an

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annual rate of inbreeding of 0.33 ± 0.004% (P