ANIMAL BREEDING

AND GENETICS
 Animal Breeding
 Application of the principles of animal
genetics with the goal of
improvement of animals
 evolved to become a systems science
that incorporates genetics,
reproductive physiology, statistics,
computer science, and animal
husbandry
ANIMAL BREEDING
AND GENETICS
 Genetics
 Concerned with determining
the mode of inheritance of
transmission of biological
properties from generation to
generation
 Sometimes called science of
heredity (concerned with the
mechanics of inheritance) and
variation (differences among
individuals)
VARIATION
 BASIC TYPES OF VARIATION
 PHENOTYPIC VARIATION
 refers to the actual variation we observe among animals for each
trait of interest
 PHENOTYPE- what we can measure and touch (Ex: growth rate
or backfat depth)
 GENOTYPE- genes that make up the animal
 GENETIC VARIATION
 refers to the amount of variation that is controlled by genes.
Important contributors to the field
of Genetics:
Gregor Mendel (1866)- the Father of Genetics; an Austrian
monk who conducted breeding experiments on garden peas
(Pisum sativum L.), formulated and published his hypothesis
about the mechanics of inheritance of characteristics of
plants; discovered that hereditary characteristics were
determined by elementary factors (now called genes).

Hugo de Vries (in the Netherlands), Carl Correns (in

Germany) and Erick Von Tshermark (in Austria)-
independently discovered the works of Mendel in 1901
William Bateson (1906)- an English biologist who studies the
inheritance of certain characteristics of the chicken, showed
that mendelian laws also applied to animals

Johannsen (1909)- a Danish biologist, coined the term “gene”

to refer to the particulate factor that Mendel hypothesized as
the basic unit of inheritance.

James Watson and Francis Crick (1965)- two young

scientists of Cambridge, University of England, hypothesized
the chemical nature and function of the gene which is now
universally accepted
The mechanism of hereditary
transmission
Heritability is the ratio of genetic variation to phenotypic
variation

 Animal Reproduction- allows the flow of the genetic

material from generation to generation; involves two
process: gametogenesis and fertilization
The mechanism of hereditary
transmission

 From the genetic

standpoint, body of all
higher organisms are
composed of:
 Each cell nucleus contain
 Somatic or body cells hereditary materials >
 Gametes or germ cells chromosomes
 Chromosomes = DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid)
and histones (proteins)
 Chromosomes of different
animals:
 In
higher animals,
gene is a segment of Horse
Cattle
- 64
- 60
DNA American bison - 60
Goat - 60
Water buffalo
 Gene– basic unit of Swamp - 48
heredity River - 50
Sheep - 54
Swine - 38
 Chromosomes occur Turkey - 82

in pair (diploid) Fowl

Duck
- 78
- 80
Man - 46
 Each somatic cell – contain  Sex chromosomes-
1 pair of chromosome determine the sex of
known as sex individual
chromosomes, the rest –
autosomes
 In mammals …
 Locus- (plural. Loci) a place
at which a particular gene  XX (homogametic) > F
resides on the genetic or  XY heterogametic > M
linkage map
 Autosomes- carry genetic
material but do not  In poultry …
determine sex  ZZ male
 ZW female
Gametogenesis
 Includes..
 Spermatogenesis
 Oogenesis/ovigenesis

• Progenitors of gamete
development:
 Spermatogonia

 Oogonia
Gametogenesis- the process of producing
the reproductive cells

Spermatogenesis- the process of

differentiation of a mature sperm cell from an
undifferentiated germ line cell, including
meiosis; male produces sperm cell

Oogenesis- the process of differentiation of a

mature egg cell from an undifferentiated
germ line cell, including meiosis; female
produces eggs
Gamete- a mature reproductive cell capable
of fusing with a similar cell of the opposite sex
to form a zygote; also called sex cell

Spermatozoa- the male gametes of animals

Ovum- the female gamete

Fertilization- the fusion of two gametes of

opposite sexes to form a zygote or an embryo
 Qualitative characters:  Quantitative characters:
refers to precise refers to characters
characteristics which can be measured
 Color  Height
 Presence or absence of  Weight
horn
 Milk production
 With or without
defects
Classical genetics
 Mode of transmission of  Example:
genes basic to all genetic
Coat color in Shorthorn. The
specialties : based on
genetic make up of the
Mendelian Law
animal…
- 1. Law of Dominance:
- hybrid offsprings will only inherit
the dominant trait in the - RR homozygous red
phenotype. The alleles that are - WW- homozygous white
suppressed are called as the
recessive traits while the alleles - RW– heterozygous roan
that determine the trait are
known as the dormant traits
Qualitative genetics (classical genetics)
 Mode of transmission of  Example:
genes basic to all genetic
Coat color in Shorthorn. The
specialties : based on
genetic make up of the
Mendelian Law
animal…
- separation or sorting out
and refers to the way in
which the genes separate - RR homozygous red
out in subsequent - WW- homozygous white
generations:
- RW– heterozygous roan
In the first cross, RR is mated with WW
RR WW

R R W W

gametes
calves R W R W R W R W

The calves from this cross will be RW – heterozygous roan. In the

second cross, two of these calves are mated
 Genotypic Ratio: 1 RR: 2 RW: 1WW
Second cross . . . Phenotypic ratio: 1 Red: 2 Roan: 1 White

R W R W

R W R W
gametes

R R R W R W W W

Homozygous Heterozygous Homozygous

red roan white

Therefore, the calves of the first generation cross produce calves

,half of which similar to their grandparents
 Law of independent assortment
 this can be seen when 2 or more characters are
considered rather than just 1

 Example: in cattle, black is dominant to red;

polled is dominant to horned…
PPBB homozygous for polled and black
ppbb homozygous for horned and red
In the first cross…
Homozygous
Homozygous
for horned
for polled
and red
and black
PPBB ppbb

P B p b

Pp Bb First gen

First gen – consist of animals which are all heterozygous

(PpBb) but since both of these characters are dominant, all
the animals will look black and polled
In the second cross, there are 4 possible combinations
of these genes which can be presented in the sperms
and egg

sperm egg
PpBb X PpBb

PB Pb pB pb PB Pb pB pb

Thus, there are 16 possible combinations for the

genetic make up of the fertilized egg
 sperm

PB Pb pB pb

PB PBPB PBPb PBpB PBpb

1 2 3 4
egg Pb PbPB PbPb PbpB Pbpb
5 6 7 8
pB pBPB pBPb pBpB pBpb 12
9 10 11
pb pbPB pbPb pbpB pbpb
13 14 15 16

In these combinations, altho all of them are genetically different,

several of them will look alike because of dominance…….

• 1-5,7,9-10 and 13 – polled and black

• 6,8 & 14 – polled and red
• 11-12 & 13 – horned and black
• 16 –horned and red
Selection and breeding systems
 The genetic nature of a
population can be changed
thru:
 Breeding system/mating
 Selection : certain
system: constitute
individuals in a population
breeding plans that are
are preferred to others for
designed to combine
production of the next
genes in a population
generation
into the most
advantageous genotype
combination
 Selection  Methods of selection:
 Can be natural or artificial  Tandem (one trait at a
 Applied on the basis of: time)
 Individuality  Independent culling ( 2 or
more traits at a time)
 Pedigree
 Selection index – separate
 Progeny test determination of the value
 Collateral relatives for each trait selected for;
least efficient
Breeding systems
 Planned on the basis of:  Fundamental types
 Genetics  On the basis of genetics
 Phenotype (external features)  Inbreeding

 Outbreeding

 On the basis of genotype

 Assortive mating (more alike
characteristics and or
performance; small to small, big
to big)
 Disassortive
mating (less alike
performance; small to big)
 Genetic effect of inbreeding:  If accompanied by
selection, may
Homozygosity increase phenotypic
 Consequences of characteristics
homozygozity:  Accompanied by a
 does not increase the number decline in traits
of recessive alleles closely related to
physical fitness
 doesnot uncover dominant (fertility, mothering
genes ability, viability,
 fixes
characters in an inbred growth rate, etc.)
population, be it good or bad
 Forms of inbreeding:  Forms of outbreeding

 Line breeding  Crossbreeding- mating of

animals of 2 or more breeds
 Full brother and
 2-breed cross
sister mating
 Backcross
 Half brother and
sister mating  3-breed cross
 Sequence breeding
 Parent-offspring
(crisscrossing, rotational
mating
crossing)
 Upgrading – purebred sires
to a native female
 Advantage of cross breeding:

Heterosis or
hybrid vigor

Increased vigor of
the offspring over
that of the parents
 Reproduction
 Reproductive cycle and rate of genetic improvement
 Puberty : period of sexual maturity

Formation
oogenesis ovulation of corpus
luteum
 Estrous cycle : period in between 2 heat periods

Monoetrous animals –
Polyestrous animals –
one estrous cycle per
year several estrous cycle

Breeding season –
Pseudopregnancy
period of
successive estrous – false pregnancy
cycle
 Pregnancy

Placentation:
Fertilization: the development of the
union of sperm and extra embryonic
egg cells, usually membranes/placenta as
takes place in the a means of meeting the
ampulla of the oviduct increasing need of the
embryo for more
Implantation: nutrition
the new embryo becomes
established at a Pregnancy diagnosis:
developmental site in the • Absence of estrus
uterus, where it will then • Change of contour of the
develop and become a abdomen
fetus • Palpation
• Use of x-ray
• Biological test
 Fetal placenta includes:

Chorion:
outermost
membrane; in
contact with the
maternal uterus

Allantois:
first water bag;
in between the
chorion and
amnion Amnion:
innermost
membrane; closest
to the fetus
 Parturition: labor, general term for act of
giving birth

2nd stage:
1st stage:
Actual
Uterine
delivery of the
contraction
fetus

3rd stage:
Delivery of the
placenta
 Artificial insemination
 Advantages:
 Increase to an extra ordinary the use of superior sires
 Prevents transfer of diseases
 Continuethe period of usefulness (in case unable to
mount) of male
 Prevents injury (in case of too heavy male)
 Lessen the breeding cost
 AI disadvantages:
 Infectious disease can be spread easily
 Cant be applied yet to all species of animal
 Need AI technician
Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer
(MOET) technology- increase the rate of
reproduction of the females that are selected
to serve as embryo donors to as much as 30
to 50 times; already been successfully
demonstrated in cattle; not as widely
practiced as AI

Multiple ovulation- a process by which the

female animals is induced to simultaneously
ovulate more eggs than what is normally
shed
 Embryo transfer (ova transfer)
 Earlyembryo in its early stage of development is
removed from its mother (donor) reproductive
tract and transferred to another (surrogate
mother) reproductive tract
Cloning
 clone : identical twin
 Accomplished thru a process of nuclear transfer

Dolly:
sheep in Scotland
was the first
successful clone of
an adult animal