Animal breeding

Animal breeding, controlled propagation of domestic animals in order to improve desirable qualities. Humanity has been modifying domesticated animals to better suit human needs for centuries. Selective breeding involves using knowledge from several branches of science. These include genetics, statistics, reproductive physiology, computer science, and molecular genetics. This article discusses the basic principles of how populations of animals can be changed by application of these principles, and a brief discussion of molecular genetics, immunogenetics, and newer reproductive technologies is included. The fundamental biological principles underlying animal breeding are discussed in the articles heredity and animal reproductive system.

Breeding and variation

English agriculturist Robert Bakewell was a very successful breeder of commercial livestock in the 18th century. His work was based on the traditional method of visual appraisal of the animals that he selected. Although he did not write about his methods, it is recorded that he traveled extensively by horseback and collected sheep and cattle that he considered useful. It is thought that he made wide outcrosses of diverse breeds, and then practiced inbreeding with the intent of fixing desirable characteristics in the crossbred animals. He was also the first to systematically let his animals for stud. For these reasons he is generally recognized as the first scientific breeder.

In animal breeding, a population is a group of interbreeding individuals—i.e., a breed or strain within a breed that is different in some aspects from other breeds or strains. Typically, certain animals within a breed are designated as purebred. The essential difference between purebred and nonpurebred animals is that the genealogy of purebred animals has been carefully recorded, usually in a herd book, or studbook, kept by some sanctioning association. Purebred associations provide other services that are useful to their members to enhance their businesses.

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Selective breeding utilizes the natural variations in traits that exist among members of any population. Breeding progress requires understanding the two sources of variation: genetics and environment. For some traits there is an interaction of genetics and the environment. Differences in the animals’ environment, such as amount of feed, care, and even the weather, may have an impact on their growth, reproduction, and productivity. Such variations in performance because of the environment are not transmitted to the next generation. For most traits measured in domestic animals, the environment has a larger impact on variation than do genetic differences. For example, only about 30 percent of the variation in milk production in dairy cattle can be attributed to genetic effects; the remainder of the variation is due to environmental effects. Thus, environmental factors must be considered and controlled in selecting breeding stock.

Genetic variation is necessary in order to make progress in breeding successive generations. Each gene, which is the basic unit of heredity, occupies a specific location, or locus, on a chromosome. Two or more genes may be associated with a specific locus and therefore with a specific trait. (Traits that can be observed directly, such as size, colour, shape, and so forth, make up an organism’s phenotype.) These genes are known as alleles. If paired alleles are the same, the organism is called homozygous for that trait; if they are different, the organism is heterozygous. Typically, one of the alleles will be expressed to the exclusion of the other allele, in which case the two alleles are referred to as dominant and recessive, respectively. However, sometimes neither dominates, in which case the two alleles are called codominant.

Although no complete knowledge of the genetic makeup of any breed of livestock exists yet, genetic variations can be used for improving stock. Researchers partition total genetic variation into additive, dominance, and epistatic types of gene action, which are defined in the following paragraphs. Additive variation is easiest to use in breeding because it is common and the effect of each allele at a locus just adds to the effect of other alleles at that same locus. Genetic gains made using additive genetic effects are permanent and cumulate from one generation to the next.

Although dominance variation is not more complex in theory, it is more difficult to control in practice because of how one allele masks the effect of another. For example, let a indicate a locus, with a₁ and a₂ representing two possible alleles at that location. Then a₁a₁, a₁a₂ (which is identical to a₂a₁), and a₂a₂ are the three possible genotypes. If a₁ dominates a₂, the genotypes a₁a₂ and a₁a₁ cannot be outwardly distinguished. Thus, the inability to observe differences between a₁a₂ and a₁a₁ presents a major difficulty in using dominance variance in selective breeding.

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Additive and dominance variations are caused by genes at one locus. Epistatic variation is caused by the joint effects of genes at two or more loci. There has been little deliberate use of this type of genetic variation in breeding because of the complex nature of identifying and controlling the relevant genes.