834
Genetic Characterization of Two Populations of Murrah Buffaloes From Brazil and Cuba
The objective of this study was to characterize two populations of Murrah buffaloes in Brazil and Cuba, using nine microsatellites markers. Hair samples from 121 animals were collected – 57 Brazilian and 64 Cuban. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 7.0% of the total variation was due to differences among populations and 83.0% due to intrapopulation differences. The main component analysis showed that the first two components accounted for 44.54% of all the variation among populations and a third component with a percentage of 16.64%. The results suggest the existence of a substructure in populations, showing that there are genetic differences between populations and within populations. The microsatellites studied are polymorphic and able to identify the variability and genetic diversity in buffaloes.
Keywords: animal genetic resources, buffaloes, genetic conservation, microsatellites
