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The role of maternal lineages in horse breeding: Effects on conformation and performance traits

Friday, August 22, 2014: 11:30 AM
Cypress Room (The Westin Bayshore)
Nina Krattenmacher , Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Jens Tetens , Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Swantje Hedt , Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Eckhard Stamer , TiDa GmbH, Westensee/Brux, Germany
Georg Thaller , Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Abstract Text:

Maternal lineage effects, probably indicative of mitochondrial DNA differences, are considered important in horse breeding. 8,098 Holstein warmblood horses representing 493 maternal lineages were studied to assess lineage effects on conformation and performance traits recorded at studbook inspections. Furthermore, field performance traits were analyzed using data from 2,329 mares representing 381 maternal lineages. Variance components were estimated using animal models considering the fixed effects age and year-season of assessment (for studbook inspection traits), and test year and location (for traits measured at mare performance tests), respectively. Additive genetic and lineage effects were modelled as random. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.10 (0.02) to 0.39 (0.06). Maternal lineage accounted for up to 2.1% of the phenotypic variation in the traits. Future research should examine the degree of molecular variation among mitochondrial genomes of different maternal lineages and its relationship to phenotypic differences.

Keywords:

Holstein horse breed

maternal lineage

mitochondrial DNA

See more of: Breeding of Companion Animals
See more of: Species Breeding: Companion Animals
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